For over 50 years we vaccinated all puppies we sold. We purchased the vaccines directly from vaccine suppliers from the US because we are located on the Border. 2 years ago we were stopped at Canadian Customs and told that bringing vaccines into Canada was illegal unless you were a veterinarian. So from then on we advertised that our pups were wormed and were from chosen breeding lines of AKC`, CKC, hunting and foreign lines emphasizing health looks and intelligence, but are not vaccinated and that the buyer needed to bring their puppy to get vaccinated immediately.
Below is an email correspondence I had with the Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center at Cornell University immediately after learning three puppies were diagnosed with Parvovirus.
Hi George,
Apologies for the delay. I’m thrilled to hear that all the puppies are now doing well. I understand how stressful it is to have a sick puppy — especially with parvovirus — and new owners/families.
Without more details, it’s hard to say why the three became ill (and honestly, nearly impossible). It’s certainly reasonable to consider that change and stress could leave a puppy more susceptible. However, my guess is that they became infected and then ill after leaving your farm. The incubation period can be as short as 3 days. Given that none of your dogs became at all symptomatic is the main reason for me to feel that way. However, it could also be entirely coincidental. Could those 3 puppies have visited common areas? It would have been necessary to test all the puppies (even the healthy ones) to know if the others might have tested positive despite being asymptomatic. I’m also not sure it’s possible to smell parvovirus if no one is having diarrhea (the smell doesn’t come from the virus itself, but from the effects on the GI tract, though I know the SPCA personnel have a lot of experience). Bleaching your kennels was not a bad idea at all however.
Parvo is tricky as the puppies can still become infected even if the mother was fully vaccinated and if the puppies receive their vaccinations in a timely manner. They receive antibodies from the mother through colostrum, but they gradually wane. Then the vaccines will start to fill in the gaps but that’s not complete, and there can be interference between the vaccine and the maternal antibodies. It’s a matter of doing the best we can and minimizing exposure. We also can’t keep them in a bubble until they are 16 weeks old because then they miss critical socialization.
I hope this helps. Sounds like you have a lovely place up there!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Best wishes,
Brian Collins, DVM
Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center website
From: George Weller <gweller@ctq2.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2025 12:47 PM
To: Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center <ask_the_vet@cornell.edu>
Subject: Re: Fw: Golden Retriever breeder problem
Thank you for your response.
As it turns out none of the 5 (out of 12) puppies yet unsold, when the parvo reports came to us from a couple of customers, became sick or stopped loosing weight gain or had loose stools even though their mothers stopped letting them suckle at about 4-5 weeks. Again all 3 remaining pups are doing very well.
And now we recently were able to get a box of 7 way vaccines surreptitiously from a new acquaintance, so we once again could do puppy shots.
I am a chemist and am very curious why the pups that remained here, and those that played with/interacted with their new owners while here and went to those loving families who immediately got their puppy shots, did well?
Could emotional trauma of leaving their home environment too quickly without emotional adjustment cause them to succumb to environmental parvo virus? Quite a few of our pups over the many years have become therapy dogs of one sort or another, so they are very intelligent and sensitive.
SPCA people who came here to check found all dogs and pups healthy, but they said they thought they could smell parvo virus and suggested washing the stalls with bleach solution which we of course did.
So, if parvo is in the environment and in our small kennel (concrete mini walls) how come our dogs and pups never had any problems, while some of those that went to new homes did?
Any ideas?
On 2025-08-12 03:45, Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center wrote:
Dear George,
Your question to the Community Practice was forwarded to us at the Cornell Riney Canine Health Center.
I’m so sorry to hear about the sick puppies — I hope they are recovering well. I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the availability of canine vaccines over the border. I think your best option (which you probably have already done) is reaching out widely to veterinarians to see who can squeeze in an extra patient or 2 — at least until they’ve received all the puppy vaccines. Unfortunately, we’ve seen veterinary capacity increase while the need has increased. We also have vaccine clinics through various providers that pop up in pet stores and Tractor Supply but I don’t know if that happens in Canada. You can also check with your local animals shelters to see if they are aware of other options.
I hope this is helpful and that the puppies are doing well. Please let me know if you have any questions or updates.
Best,
Brian Collins, DVM, DABVP (Canine and Feline Practice)
Extension Associate
Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center
Consultant, Camuti Consultation Service
Cornell Feline Health CenterSenior Lecturer
Cornell Small Animal Community Practice
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
From: George Weller <gweller@ctq2.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 5, 2025 10:36 AM
To: Community Practice Service <communitypractice@cornell.edu>
Subject: Golden Retriever breeder problemWe live in Stanstead, QC. My wife and I moved from Toledo, OH area to
here in 1970 with Goldens and have bred them as best we could from
various healthy lines-US, CDN, and foreign. Several have become service
dogs.
Until recently we have been able to purchase vaccines from US vaccine
suppliers, then local at Tractor Supply and Agway. Then the CDN customs
disallowed me to import them. We live right on the border with Vermont
and used to cross often. It seems vets here have a secure legal
monopoly as the local farm store cannot get vaccines or now even wormer
for horses or dogs.
We had 2 liters of 6 pups each this year (first in 2 yrs) all healthy,
and sold 7 at 8 weeks old that were wormed only and advertised as such
telling any new owners they needed to get them vaccinated right away.
We tell them when they come to meet the parents and pups that they need
to make an appointment with their vet for the day they bring the pup
home but not all were able to do that. One customer was able to get an
immediate appointment and his pup is doing well. Our local vet in
Coaticook was not able to have us as a customer as they said to try later.
Our 5 remaining pups at 9 weeks are just fine running around eating
well, growing with solid poops, etc. All 6 of our adult Goldens are
doing great also. They love running around the farm and helping with
some of our projects as well as slow down time in the cool kennel when
they get tired.
However, we have had reports back from 3 customers that their pup tested
positive with parvovirus, after only 4-5 days and were sick. We are
heartbroken for them. They get the pup home and fall in love with it
and then it gets sick. They take it to the vet and get this news.
From your Cornell CVM site it seems that parvo is nearly everywhere.
We have a farm with a small Beefalo herd, lots of woods, streams and
many wild animals.
We would like a way to be helpful and have customers enjoy a healthy
puppy like we had done in the past 55 years.
Do you have any ideas?
—
George K. Weller
Weller Farm
Weller Airport: ctq2
web page: https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fctq2.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccommunitypractice%40cornell.edu%7C0ad707bbfcd24336e96d08ddd42d9e1a%7C5d7e43661b9b45cf8e79b14b27df46e1%7C0%7C0%7C638900015182181098%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=uDiuqR8aYFiKVjpCasFZZZZxt6YXt%2FSFd%2BnjDpsrHbI%3D&reserved=0
-- George K. Weller Weller Farm Weller Airport: ctq2 web page: http://ctq2.org