Parvo questions?

Question

I awoke this morning to find the 8 week ok pointer puppy I adopted from the pound on tuesday acting strangely. Instead of whining and barking to get out of his crate, he was laying there, moaning. I took him to the vet and they diagnosed him with parvo. He has thrown up a little since I got him, but i figured it was just nerves since he just came from the pound. The vet said his stool was very normal looking, no blood or anything, which he said is a good sign for recovery. His temp is about 105 and he told me to put rubbing alcohol on his paws to bring down the fever. Since I live 3 min away, he's treating the pup as an outpatient and I will bring him in about twice a day for fluids. Is this ok? I've been reading that a hospital stay is extremely necessary. If so, what can I do here at home to help his survival chances? This is so heartbreaking, this is the sweetest little pup in the world and I haven't been able to stop crying since I found out!

Well he started to become more and more lethargic as the night progressed, so I took him to an emergency vet who's charging me $400 to keep him overnight. I'm gonna take him to a personal friends vet office tomorrow so it won't cost as much.

Answer 1

Parvo is different for each dog, some handle it without getting as ill if it is treated early. If the dog isn't having massive blow outs with the diarrhea and is able to eat and drink still you are fine as an outpatient because the dog will stay hydrated. If it gets worse where the dog can't keep any food or water down it will have to go into the vet for IV support. He should be giving the dog some suportive medication already, like antibiotic. Prepare yourself for the dog to get much sicker and probably have to spend a few nights at the clinic.

The clinic I worked at had fantastic results treating Parvo, at least 95% of the dogs made it. And alot of them didn't get brought in till it was really bad. I would suggest your vet call my old clinic and get the mix they used to treat the animals, I can't remember the name of the medication they added to the IV, but it was something that was for food poisioning that worked wonders in combo with a few other drugs. They had it worked out to an exact science. If you would like more info call Clovis Veterinary Hospital [phone] and ask them to fax your vet clinic the info on what they use to treat Parvo.

The thing you will also need to keep in mind is the parvo virus can live in the soil of your yard for a very long time (a year or so) and it will not be safe for puppys to come in your yard unless they have ALL their shots.

Keep the infected dog isolated from all other dogs for at least one month after full recovery.

Clean up all the dog's stools in your yard.

Use a 1:30 ratio of chlorine bleach and water to clean food and water bowls (4 oz. in 1 gallon of water). Wash any bedding the dog has been in contact with in this same bleach solution and hot water. You should also try to disinfect any other areas that the dog has been, like linoleum, concrete kennels, crates, etc.

If you have any other dogs that are two years old or younger, or who have never been vaccinated for parvo, please bring them in for a booster as soon as possible.

Be sure to feed your dog a bland diet, such as Canine Prescription i/d, until he is fully recovered. When switching back to his normal diet, mix the regular food with the i/d for 2-3 days to help your pet gradually adjust to the change

I hope the pup comes through this ok, without good vet care the normal death rate is 50%. But with good care you get much better odds.

Answer 2

Since your pup has no blood in his vomit or stool, I'd trust your vet. You caught it very early, but the recovery rate may still be a 50/50 or worse so prepare yourself in case you lose your pup.

When I brought my first beagle pup home he was vomiting clear fluid and I didn't think anything of it, just a silly puppy getting too excited, but then his vomiting increased and his stool was bloody within a couple days, but by that time the only thing the vet could do was give him an IV and he died 24 hours later. We had him for less than 2 weeks and it is suspected he had Parvo already when I brought the puppy home.

The vet explained that for pups and older dogs it is usually a death sentence. You got it early and you have enough time to pump your pup with fluids and antibiotics. I hope he pulls through and lives a happy life with you.

Answer 3

Your pup sounds like it got a mild infection. It was probably from the vaccination itself. While Parvo is a very very serious disease, a dog can get varying degrees of it. A mild infection or vaccine infection can cause listness and vomiting, but not the serious bloody diarrhea and dehydration that a full blown un vaccinated infection can do. If the vet feels its ok then its ok... just REALLLLLY keep an eye on water intake and temp. It can not or should not get any higher, or risk brain damage and seizures. Yes alchol will help evaporate heat off the paws faster and bring the temp lower but not always you need to keep him cool and hydrated the best you can. If he wont stop throwing up water you need to take him back in and get a IV drip going. The dog can and probably will recover from the mild infection and have little or no damage, but keep inmind once they have gotten the infection, even if vaccinated with it. There immune system is Compromised, he is and maybe prone to infections, sickness, and cronic conditions after he recovers. The key is really really watch the dog. If your that scared please ask the vet to take the dog back into his care till the dog recovers, and alert the shelter that the pup has parvo. They may need to do a sweep of there kennel and shut down the dog adoption program till all there dogs test negative.

IM THINKING OF HIM!!!! Hope it all turns out ok!!! Keep us informed

Answer 4

Oh jeez- parvo is highly fatal to puppies and your dog should be hospitalized. Is your vet sure it's parvo??? If so, your vet seems a bit slack on it.

Alcohol on the paws won't bring down a fever.

Find an emergency vet.

Good luck.

Answer 5

These are all great answers. I'd like to make one more suggestion you need to call the pound he was adopted from if you haven't already so they can start a quarantine. That way they can alert recently adopted dog's owners and have a chance to save some of the pound dogs and dogs people already have who may not have been vaccinated and are being exposed to the adoptees. Good luck with your puppy.

Answer 6

As someone that works in a vet clinic I would highly recommended he be hospitalized on IV fluids and IV antibotics that way you can increase his chances for survival by giving him the best treatment.

Answer 7

I would absolutely consult another vet. He should be in the hospital. Parvo is extremely contagious and extremely messy and smelly to deal with. I would take him to another vet immediately. That your vet has not put him in quarantine is alarming.