Posted: March 18, 2009, 5 a.m. EDT
A Cocker Spaniel puppy named Ivan that Oprah Winfrey adopted from a Chicago animal shelter has died of parvovirus, People reports. Winfrey’s other pup, Ivan’s littermate Sadie, is undergoing treatment.
A spokesperson for Winfrey said that Sadie “is getting stronger.”
Winfrey adopted Sadie several weeks ago from the PAWS Chicago animal shelter and announced the dog’s adoption on her March 6 show. Winfrey adopted Ivan several days later.
Ivan came down with the deadly virus last Wednesday, said Jean Dodds, DVM.
“It was just a little bit too late. All the veterinary community got together to save his life,” Dodds said. “The puppy didn’t make it, but he’s teaching others how important this is to get vaccinated at the right times.”
Dodds, who founded nonprofit animal blood bank Hemopet, said the shelter and veterinarians did everything right, but that Ivan was exposed between two critical shots.
Parvo “is everywhere; it’s like the flu,” Dodds said.
Sadie is being treated with “plasma from hyper immunized healthy dogs” as a precaution until she’s old enough to get her second shot, Dodds said.
Symptoms of parvovirus include lethargy and lack of appetite, followed by explosive (and often bloody) diarrhea.