Woman says puppy diagnosed by veterinarian with Parvovirus after being adopted

JACKSON, Tenn — A Madison county woman says she is upset after adopting a new puppy only to find out the dog was sick.

When looking for a new pet, some people turn to local rescue agencies and that is exactly what Sandra Sorrell did. She left the Jackson-Madison County Rabies Control with a brand new puppy, who she was going to name ‘Cocoa’.

Sandra adopted the pup in hopes of providing it with a forever home., but that ‘forever’ was cut short when Sandra found out from her veterinarian the dog had a highly-contagious virus.

“April 10th we came across a little beagle mix little puppy we fell in love with,” Sandra Sorrell said.

Sandra said she knew that was the puppy for her after seeing what the dog was going through. “The little black one and then there’s another dog white with a black patch on his face was with him and they were stomping on that puppy that was laying there lifeless.”

After adopting the pet, Sorrell made a trip to the vet. Cocoa tested positive for Parvovirus. The veterinarian did not want to go on-camera with WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News, but explained the dog had to be put down because Parvo is a highly contagious viral disease that can affect other dogs.

“Me and my husband we were really concerned about that dog because it was so lifeless,” Sorrell said.

The Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department oversees rabies control and they say per policy they do not take animals to the vet. Representatives say if the animal was visibly ill it would not have been adopted out.

“My concern is I don’t want any other animals to be affected by this Parvo,” Sorrell said.

Wayne Arnold with the Jackson-Madison county Regional Health Department said the dog Sorrell adopted was 1 of 3 surrenders. Arnold said the remaining two puppies have been isolated and do not appear to show any signs of illness.

“And their rescuing them and I understand that in their own limited budget,” Sorrell said. “But I think after they get them we need to have a way to be able to make these dogs healthy.”

Health officials said they also sanitized every area where the puppies were located.

Officials with the Jackson Animal Clinic say you can do supportive care for dogs with Parvo, but as far as treatment, there is no cure.