An Ohio family that purchased a puppy at Lucasville Trade Days is alerting other dog buyers to a potential health threat.
She claims the Yorkie Poo she featured at the event has parvo and is now under the care of a veterinarian and fighting for its life.
She says the sellers were an older couple operating out of the back of a truck and warns anyone else who bought a dog to get it to the vet ASAP.
Lucasville Trade Days is a hugely popular event in Southern Ohio, held multiple times a year at the Scioto County Fairgrounds. It is often referred to as the ‘King of Flea Markets.’ In addition to the sales of antiques, crafts, and discount items found at traditional flea markets, this event is also known for live animal sales. Attendees can purchase everything from cows to pigs to birds to puppies and kittens. The treatment and health conditions of the animals sold at this event have long caused controversy among those who fear they are not properly vetted or treated.
The American Kennel Club describes parvo as a highly contagious virus, “It spreads through direct contact with an infected dog or by indirect contact with a contaminated object. Your puppy is exposed to the parvovirus every time he sniffs, licks, or consumes infected feces. Indirect transmission occurs when a person who has recently been exposed to an infected dog touches your puppy, or when a puppy encounters a contaminated object, like a food or water bowl, collars and leashes, and the hands and clothing of people who handle infected dogs.”
Symptoms of the illness include:
- Bloody diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Anorexia
- Weight loss
- Weakness
- Dehydration
- Depression