DOG EXPERT? re: PARVO virus?

Question

My dog (9 mos. old boxer) contracted this virus and I have taken her to the vet and started treatment. The vet said that we caught the signs early. She is not drinking or eating for 24+ hrs now and still very lethargic. She is on I.V. fluids and medication the 2nd dose was this morning.

1.) How long will it take for her to be 50% - 100% recovered?
2.) Is it "normal" that she has a yellowish vomit?
3.) What is your prognosis?

Please feel free to give as much information as you can about this condition...

Thank you for your time...

My dog is current on all vaccines, for those who automatically assumed she is not...

The vet told me that vaccine for parvo, only gives a puppy/dog a less chance of contracting the virus... It does NOT prevent it all together.

Answer 1

1) It may take her a week to 2 to be "fully" recovered and come home from the vet. Maybe shorter, maybe longer. Like us, they are all individuals.
2) Yes, the yellow vomit could be bile from her stomach
3) Good. You caught it early, she is being taken care of, and is undergoing medical treatment. Do your part and clean everything at home well with a bleach/water solution. Parvo Virus can stay active in the environment for YEARS. So, listen to your vet!
Best wishes on your pup, and I hope she gives you many years of happiness.

Answer 2

Yellowish vomit is very common with parvo. The younger the dog is, the more dangerous parvo is. In a fully grown adult, it's only about as severe as a mild human stomach virus but can be fatal to young puppies.

Unfortunately, since it is a virus, there is no medicine to kill the disease. She'll just have to pull through. The refusal to eat and drink and lethargy is very common.

If she pulls through, which I'm predicting she probably will since she's getting good medical support early, she'll probably get to go home within a week, and be fully recovered soon after that.

I don't mean to scold but I can't leave this out. Puppy shots would have prevented all of this and would have cost MUCH less than what you are paying now for vet care.

Answer 3

Good luck - I hope she makes it.

#1 Recovery time depends on the dog's condition and how soon you began treatment. I'd say she has a better than average chance of a complete recovery. IV fluids will help her greatly; they are essential when she is too sick to eat or drink.

#2 Vomiting yellow bile is usually not serious - my terriers do it anytime their stomachs are empty. They won't want to eat anything for a little while after they throw up.

I feed them two smaller meals with a biscuit in between and before bedtime - so they're getting a little something to eat about every four hours. You have to make sure that they don't get fat - you have to cut down the amounts so they're getting the same total calories.

#3 She has a good chance of recovering because of her age - very young puppies or dogs with other health complications are the most likely to die.

Make sure she is vaccinated annually for all of the common diseases and keep her on heartworm preventitive year round (with an annual blood test!).

It's so cheap to prevent this and so horrible and expensive to treat heartworm! My cousin just had to put her 3 year old shepherd to sleep because she thought she couldn't afford the medicine. It cost $45 to put the dog down and $34 for the meds - where's the sense in that?

Heartworm is all over the U.S. and even can be found in Alaska. Testing and prevention is cheap compared to the expensive nightmare of treating a dog with this condition. If the dog lives through the treatment, he can still suffer permanent damage. Even if your dog never leaves the house, he can still be bitten by an infected mosquito.
If I could only afford to give one preventative or vaccine it would be for Heartworm!

Answer 4

My puppy is about 3 months old and she has this virus also. She has been at the vet for 48 hours now and is still not eating or drinking. I am not sure how long before the dogs will recover any, however a puppy that is at the same hospital has been there for 5 days now and is bouncing off the walls... unfortunately it is still on an I.V. also.

As for the yellowish vomit, that is normal for parvo.

I wish you and your puppy lots of luck and a quick recovery.

Answer 5

When puppies are given their first booster vaccinations, they get a series of 3 vaccinations, which collectively are called DHLPP, which does include the Parvo vaccine. The first vaccination is given at around 6-8 weeks-old, then the second vaccine is done at around 10-12 weeks-old and then the third vaccine is given at around 14-16 weeks-old. Parvo is a very serious disease that can be very deadly to puppies. Once the puppy gets the 3 booster vaccines, then they only need to get vaccinated once a year, which does include the Parvo vaccine. Some vets will give dogs that are at a low risk of contracting Parvo the vaccine every 3 years but most give it once a year. Your 11 month-old puppy should have already had all of his first booster vaccinations already, so both of your dogs, the 11 month-old puppy and the 4 year-old dog should only need to get the Parvo vaccine once a year. Best of luck with your dogs. Hope I helped.

Answer 6

Therapy is dependent upon the severity of the clinical symptoms and is aimed at treating the dehydration, controlling vomiting and diarrhea and preventing secondary infection. If bacterial infection and dehydration can be prevented, clinical signs will usually resolve in 2 to 5 days. Therapy may include:

Intravenous (IV) fluid therapy, antibiotics and/or other drugs used to replace electrolyte and fluid losses and control nausea and vomiting.
In very severe cases, referral to a 24-hour critical care center may be recommended.

You should allow your pet to rest and regain his strength. Once vomiting and diarrhea have stopped, encourage water intake. Offer your pet a small amount of water and a bland diet. Your veterinarian may recommend a prescription diet.

It takes a few days for stools to normalize. Nevertheless, it is important that you pick up feces and keep the environment clean. It is likely that the feces will contain the virus and other dogs may contract the disease.

If your pet is not eating or drinking, is continually tired, vomiting and/or still has diarrhea, call your veterinarian.

Answer 7

Since she is 9 months old, she has a better chance of survival than a young puppy would have.
I appears that everything is done for her
that should be done. Since she is still on IV fluids, I assume she's at the vet.
Next time you get a pup, make sure it gets a full series of vaccinations, so this will not happen to you again. Best of Luck!

Answer 8

Yellowish vomit is common in dogs with parvo. It might take a couple of weeks for her to get back up to feeling better. If she is at the vets office on IV fluids and antibiotics then her chance of survival is greatly increased. If the vet said that you caught it in time, then it will probably turn out for the better. Make sure that you keep her up to date on all of her shots from here on out, and keep her wormed and on a heart worm med. I really hope that your pup turns out to be okay, Boxers are special dogs.

Answer 9

Older dogs usually recover from parvo if they get the proper treatment. There is no way to tell how long it will be before she gets better, or if she will get better at all. The yellow vomit is probably stomach acid from vomiting on an empty stomach. Just listen to, and trust your vet, they are the experts.

Answer 10

im going to be honest with you . i know you arent going to want to hear this . but there is a chance you dog isnt going to make it. im sorry to tell you that but i know from experience . parvo . is a cancer for dogs it basically eats their insides . i have lost one to it and my other had it but luckly i caught it with in the first 2 weeks of it . it takes two weeks for the signs to show and when they give the test for it the darker blue it is the worse it is . my dog i lost had it pretty bad and none of themeds worked and she was hospitalized and died a few days later. they cant eat drink or keep anything down plus the diahreea they have and vomiting isnt good it drains them and they become dehydrated. i would take your puppy back to the vet because there should be some improvement by now. the dog i have now that lived it took her a few weeks before she got better . my vet told me i have to keep her in at all times and she couldnt go out at all not even to the bathroom . go back to the vet, and maybe you can still save her .

good luck and god bless you and your dog. its a horrible thing (parvo.) and i dont wish the pain on any animal or its owner . its hard to deal with when you lose an aniaml to it . and i hope you can save yours. also pray pray for your dog pray that the lord saves her and heals her pray that he take her pain away. god bless ..........