SPECIAL DONATION FUND TO PREVENT AND TREAT PARVORIUS

After one of our volunteers suffered the untimely death of her husband, Kurt, Elizabeth Culver was determined to create a legacy to honor him in a special way.  In 2020, The Culvers adopted Annie, a Mostly Mutts rescue, who was diagnosed with parvovirus shortly after she came to our shelter.  Tragically, Annie’s canine sibling who was also rescued, contracted parvo, and died very quickly after symptoms appeared.

Although Elizabeth was determined to help save Annie, her husband was unsure about bringing the gravely ill dog home.  Kurt eventually agreed to foster the sweet dog, whose health continued to improve under their care.  They ultimately decided to make her a permanent part of their family, and the love affair between Kurt and Annie began. Although they only had 9 precious months together, they developed a special bond, celebrating every day of Annie’s continued recovery from parvo.

"I have seen many sick dogs in my 6 years of volunteering at Mostly Mutts, but never anything as devastating as Parvo. When I first saw Annie, she was barely able to move, eat or drink, and I knew it would be a miracle if she
survived. It was heartbreaking to see her suffer, considering that Parvo is so easily prevented. With a lot of wonderful care from Tammy Turley, our director, and the great doctors at Kennesaw Mountain Veterinary Services, Annie became my miracle dog. She survived and is thriving. Please help us save more dogs like Annie. Your donation will pay for preventative vaccines and treatment, which is very expensive. Kurt would be so honored to know that possibly hundreds of dogs can live a wonderful, happy life thanks to your donation. Thank you so much.

~ Elizabeth Culver

ABOUT CANINE PARVOVIRUS

Parvo is a highly contagious, life threatening virus which is spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their feces. It causes an infectious gastrointestinal (GI) illness in puppies and young dogs, and without treatment, can be deadly. Parvovirus can live on the ground or on surfaces in kennels, on peoples’ hands, or on the clothing of people that have been contaminated. Dogs can also carry it on their fur or paws if they have come into contact with contaminated fecal material.

Treatment usually requires a lengthy hospital stay and during recovery, the affected dog must be quarantined from other pets. The cost of treatment is well over $1,000. So tragic, when parvo can be easily avoided by vaccinating your dog.

The preventative parvovirus vaccine is most often given in a combination vaccine that goes by a variety of acronyms: DHPP, DAPP, DA2PP, DHLPP, etc. It is considered a core vaccine,  usually administered several times from 6 weeks to at least 16 weeks of age. An adult dog needs to receive a booster vaccine at one year of age to be considered fully vaccinated. Dogs usually receive vaccines every one to three years for life as protection from this deadly disease.

The Culver family founded Kurt’s Annie Fund to save dogs from the agony of contracting parvo. All donations will go directly toward preventative vaccines and treatment of Mostly Mutts rescues, who are stricken with this deadly virus. Considering the expense of intensive care, and the demands of quarantine measures we are forced to take when parvo strikes, we rely on donations to help deliver the promise to save lives.

Donations can also be mailed:

Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue
3238 Cherokee St. NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144

In the memo section of the check, be sure to reference Kurt's Annie Fund.

Mostly Mutts and the Culver family greatly appreciate your life saving donations to the Kurt’s Annie Fund.