My Puppy has PARVO, i need some answers?

Question

Ok so we put out puppy in the hospital about 5 days ago and shes been going up and down, last night she ripped out her IV in her leg so all night she wasn't getting any meds. So it would be obvouis that she wasnt doing so well in the morning when the got to her.
They said after they put in her IV she "perked" up a little. Shes about 3 months old. A yellow lab, im so worried. She is like my child and i know the nurses are doing everything they can but i just wish i had someone with similar experiances. She just got her bloddy diahara back but thats becuase she ripped out her IV im geussing. Im just so worried i really want to know if its ab-normal for her to be in there for 5 days? They did say a couple days ago she was barking and walking around her cage so thats a good sign.

I just really want some anwsers, please please help =[

Ashley.

Answer 1

As your puppy is hanging in there, she still has a good chance..I'll be praying for her..
As a note to above..The bleach mixture only needs to be 1 part bleach to 30 parts water..You can set a lawn fertilizer nozzle for that, to make it much easier..
Here is from the site>http://www.bigpawsonly.com/parvo-canine-parvovirus-health.htm

Decontaminating the Parvovirus isn’t done easily as the virus is extremely virulent. Actual chlorine bleach is really the only known household agent that can kill the virus, as it will corrupt the DNA, much like HIV or any other virus. To clean surfaces, floors and equipment, mix 1 part bleach with 30 parts water or 4 to 8 ounces of bleach with 1 gallon of water. Be sure to clean food and water bowels, crates, and any item the dog will come into contact with, even the ground outside.

Answer 2

Hey-- being in the hospital for 5 days is actually a good sign: your puppy lived that long. Parvo can kill a lot faster than that, so you have a chance of saving her. I've seen pups die 24 hours after symptoms hit, so you're actually ahead of the game.

The biggest dangers with Parvo are dehydration and bacteria entering the bloodstream from the intestines. That's why your pup is on antibiotics. They don't cure the virus, but they can help reduce the risk of sepsis (bacterial blood poisoning).

What happens with Parvo is that it suppresses the white blood cells, which are key fighters in the body's immune defense system. On a blood count, her white cell count would be very low. This is called "leukopenia". This condition allows the virus to multiply very quickly. (Cats have a similar illness, also caused by a different Parvovirus, called Panleukopenia. The two viruses are not believed to be spread from cats to dogs or dogs to cats, but they may be related.) See, Parvo attacks the lining of the intestine, which is what causes the bloody diarrhea. The diarrhea and fever cause dehydration. The virus also makes the intestine more porous and allows bacteria to spill into the blood.

The IV is helping to keep her hydration up, and it's allowing her to get medicine. There is still a danger that she would vomit oral meds, so the IV is her best way of ensuring that she gets ALL the meds she needs. For now, that's all the veterinary staff can do while her own immune system battles the virus.

The staff might have to put the IV in a back leg vein (called the saphenous "SAFF-en-us" vein) and put one of those horn collars on her to keep the pup from chewing out the IV. I know, it sounds ghastly but look at it this way-- your puppy is spunky enough to chew out the line, so she has some fight in her. That's a plus, if you think about it. It sounds like she's still pretty sick, but she stands a chance if she's that spunky. Maybe they can get her through this IF they can keep her hydration up and the meds going a while longer.

Time and your puppy's immune system are going to be key in getting her over this. Of course, supportive care will help you to enhance both of these factors. The longer she hangs in, the better her chances. After she gets over this, it will be very important to keep up with her vaccines. At 3 months, she might not have been old enough to have completed her puppy series, and any immunity that she might have had from Mom was probably worn off.

Another thought-- if the vet hasn't done so already, have them do a stool check for intestinal parasites such as worms and single-celled organisms (protozoa). Hookworms especially can cause bloody stool, anemia from blood loss, and even death. However, they can be treated pretty quickly. I have seen many Oarvo cases where there were parasites as well. We treated for the parasites and the dogs would sometimes do a lot better.

No promises... your dog isn't out of the woods... but it doesn't sound hopeless to me. And 5 days is a little "abnormal" only because many dogs with parvo have already died before then.

Chin up, and pray. I believe in it; it's good medicine for the soul.

**NOTE** You are doing the right thing by hospitalizing your pup with Parvo. Parvo is VERY contagious, and it's best to keep her where she can't spread the illness, and where she can get the fluids she needs. We have had some clients do home care, but the ones who made it only had a mild illness. Other dogs that were more ill didn't make it with home care.

Also, there are times that, no matter how well or "securely" we put the IV in, the dog will chew through the line itself. The catheter is still in, along with the bandages and the needle, but the line is severed. It's not always a case of "unprofessionalism" or "poor technique". Some dogs never bother an IV, some do. No one can know for sure what dog will or won't until the IV is in place. Now that the staff knows that your pup chews the line, I'm sure they're taking steps to see that she won't be able to do it again.

Answer 3

I`m sorry to hear about ur puppy, too bad she`s not in an animal hospital where there is someone on duty all night, just for the very reason u stated in regard to the IV. If u feel confident that she is getting good care, leave her there, if not perhaps u could move her to another clinic where it is staffed around the clock. Ur dog has a very serious ailment and needs 1st rate care to survive. Do not take her home until she is out of the crisis, u can`t cure her without professional help.

Answer 4

Hi Ashley

Easy answer because you gave the answer (Parvo). It's sad but we give our pets these vacatinations and it takes years off their life and many disease's. Here are a few doctors comments and you can find a lot more on curezone.com

Nancy Scanlon, DVM, Chino Hills, USA, said: "For those who don't believe in the concept of long-term vaccinosis, there is plenty of evidence of short term problems. Every time a dog is vaccinated for Parvo, the number of white blood cells in the circulation decreases for a while. This means their immune system won't work as well during that time. Every veterinarian who has been in practice long enough has seen reactions to vaccines, ranging from lethargy, mild fever, sore neck to vomiting and sleeping for 24 hours, to total collapse and shock. In cats we now recognise that vaccinating with too many vaccines in the same place all the time can cause fibrosarcoma, a nasty cancer. This is officially recognised by the allopathic veterinary community, and if this isn't a form of vaccinosis, I don't know what is".

Finally, Driston Sherman, DVM, Colombus, USA, was quoted in Wolf Clan Magazine as saying: " When I was doing primary allopathic medicine, I saw two things. One is that within an hour after the vaccination was given, the animal was having trouble breathing or may have had redness of the skin. The other thing I saw quite often was usually about twelve to twenty-four hours after being vaccinated, animals with fever, loss of appetite, sleeping a lot, sometimes vomitting or diarrhea. Most of those cases usually took care of themselves without any intervention within twenty-four hours.

Best of health to you and your dog

Cheers

Answer 5

Once your pup beats this she will have nothing to worry about. Parvo cannot reinfect once completely gone. As a technician in Alaska we had a huge outbreak of Parvo in spring of 2005. Some dogs recovered quickly other died. It sounds like your pup is doing fine and slowly recovering. Key things to watch for, dehydatration, not eating, diahhrea, I am sure you know all this by now, but be patient, it sounds, from your description that she did well on her medications, but tore out the IV (which the tech should have caught), and relapsed a little. Hang in there.

Answer 6

I'm getting a yellow Labrador soon and I can totally commiserate with you. Without intense treatment, the victims of parvo die of dehydration. Treatment generally consists of IV or sub-cutaneous fluids and antibiotics. There is no cure. Veterinarians can only treat the symptoms palliatively, and try to keep the dog alive by preventing dehydration and loss of proteins. As there is no cure for any virus, treatment for parvo is mostly that of supporting the different systems in the body during the course of the disease. This includes giving fluids, regulating electrolyte levels, controlling body temperature and giving blood transfusions when necessary. They probably already told you, but make sure you bleach EVERYTHING in your house and outside as well. That includes the LAWN if she was on it at all. Get one of those sprayers and mix it about 50/50 with Clorox bleach and spray the lawn down. Prayers for your baby, let me know how she gets on. I'd love to see a picture of her.

Answer 7

to still be going 5 days later is something!problem is 5 days should of been enough.sorry but still having a bloody stool is not a good sign,that should of passed by now.i would not take to heart the encoragement the tech's are offering,afterall the longer they have her,the more they make and the fact that they didn't attach her iv firmly enough to keep it from coming out,is a statement of their unprofessionalizm or an out right lie just to build your hopes.sorry but,i am retired from the field and the story just don't jive.i think they're setting you up for a let down and a big bill.believe it or not it's not rare to find a dis-honest vet.

Answer 8

I just picked up my puppy from the vet yesterday after 7 days. This morning he is throwing up again. How long can this last?? I don't want to take him back. He did keep down water and pedialyte over night so that was a good sign.

Answer 9

we got our puppy from a petstore and he came down with Parvo He was in the Vets for 10days and even when we brought him home we had to watch him very carefully. He was a litter of 9 pups and the only one that survived. My pup had good days and bad days to at first I didn't think he was going to make it but he did. I went after the pet shop that sold me the dog and they had to pay the vet bills. That is the only way these places are going to learn to look after their animals.

Answer 10

i have had 2 dogs survive parvo, one was a rare case, got it at 3 yrs old, force feed him soft scrambled eggs, and forced down water, older dogs have a better chance, he lived to be 15 yrs old, although never gained his weight back. we got shot everyother day and gave him pills, i then 3 yrs ago had a dog that got parvo, the only one out of 6 that i have, i put him in the hospital they keep him 4 days then i took him out cause i couldnt afford it, carried him, force fed him and he is now good, just somewhat confused.spray every thing, house and yard with bleach water to kill the germs, parvo virus is brought to the yard by birds who have been in other yards and ate and walked in poop that is infested. keep bird attractions away