Parvo, What should I expect when taking care of my puppy?

Question

We will be having her receive shots at the vet every twelve hours and she is also receiving Tamiflu every twelve hours as well. She will be home during the day since there is no way we can afford 24 care for her, I work nights, so I will be home during the day except for when i have class. At night from 5 to 5 she will be at the vet on an IV.

We took her to the Animal ER and found out she had Parvo, just got her from the pound a little over a week ago and she received her first round of puppy shots the same day, but not from the pound.

She had not had diarrhea until this morning, no vomitting yet, just unsuccessful attempts at it once last night, she is very lethargic.

While at the vet she tested a weak positive for parvo.

Can I hope to expect a quicker recovery since we caught it early, or does it matter?

I have two other dogs, both over a year old and have had their three rounds of puppy shots, besides rabies what else should they receive shots for annually?

Answer 1

I am so sorry to hear your puppy is sick :(
You're other dogs should be fine as long as their puppy vaccines were done in a proper time frame and they had their annual booster 1 yr after their last puppy shot.
As for your puppy, a recent vaccine can SOMETIMES cause a weak positive on the parvo test. There are many illnesses puppies can get that cause vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. Treatment is usually the same regardless of what the cause is though. Parvo can affect the white blood cell production and cause bone marrow problems, your vet can monitor this with daily CBC (complete blood count). Did your vet do a stool check? Sometimes puppies with a severe coccidia (intestinal protozoa) infection can have lethargy, diarrhea, and vomiting. Coccidia is easy to treat once you know it is there and use the proper medication.
I would definitely ask your vet what they suggest for at home care. They usually have specific things they want you to do (or not do) while at home. Usually home care consists of keeping her warm, dry, and as quiet as possible. Your vet may want you to offer her very small amounts of a special canned diet, or even baby food every hour or two.
Good luck with your baby.

Answer 2

Wow. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. It's not easy.

If you follow your vet's advice, you should be able to come through this just fine though. At my shelter, Tamilflu has given us a near 100% recovery rate if the Tamilflu is started early as you seem to have done. Great catch identifying the problem, BTW. However, you can't really hurry up the process too much. Parvo is a virus and to my understanding there is not really a "cure" for it that will kill off the virus. You have to treat symptoms and wait for the virus to run it's course. Hydration is one of the keys.

We had parvo two years ago from a shelter pup my sister adopted right before Christmas. We caught it early as you did, and the pup survived and has finally reached her second year when retrievers finally morph into good dogs. It was a lot of round the clock care (we did it all ourselves under the direction of the shelter director.) But Stella has been well worth the effort.

A word of advice to all readers who adopt from the pound: Parvo goes round and round in the pound. It is very hard not to spread it to puppies that usually come in without any vaccinations. So if you adopt an animal control/pound puppy, watch it carefully for signs of lethargy, drooling, vomiting and horrible diarrhea. Go to the vet immediately if your puppy seems sick. And most importantly, sign up immediately (same day) for insurance or a vet sponsored "puppy health plan". When adopting from certain shelters you can get ShelterCare Insurance for 30 days at the cost of $1. It will save your wallet if you get parvo... or many other problems.

Good luck with your parvo pup. I'm sure all will be well.

Answer 3

-If your dog becomes infected with parvovirus, he has about a 50-50 chance of survival. If he makes it through the first three to four days, he will usually make a rapid recovery, and be back on his feet within a week. It is vital, however, that he receives supportive therapy immediately. It must be stressed that this is not a bad case of doggy flu; without medical treatment, most puppies die.

First off, I am very sorry to hear that your puppy is sick. An 8 month old I fostered from the animal shelter passed away because of parvo - she was also going through heart worm treatment, so she was not able to handle both sets of meds. All I can advise to you is to do everything the vet instructs you to do. Keep her in a kennel in a quiet place when you are not home, with blankets and a heating pad if you have one. Be sure water is always available.

I wish you and your puppy the best of luck, dear. I'll be praying for you two for the next few days, but by then I hope your puppy will be on her way to a full recovery and a long, healthy life.

Answer 4

Best of luck and lots of hugs for your puppy. With a vet's good care, she will recover and be back to her normal self in a few weeks. Follow the vet's instructions to the letter when she is home with you. It is a virus, so it will have to run its course. It's probably good you caught it early, less dehydration and a good start on the meds. Every year adult dogs should receive a combination vaccine which includes distemper, parvo, corona, and other vaccinations. They need a rabies shot every year or a three-year shot, depending on what your state allows. They also need a fecal exam to check for parasites, and a heartworm test to check for that. Heartworm medication needs to be given daily or monthly, depends on how you want to give it.
Give her lots of hugs and tell her to get well soon.

Answer 5

Rabies, distemper, bordatella. There are several others that depend on your location and how common certain things (like Lyme disease) are in your area.

Answer 6

call the vet u took her to ask them all those questions who else better to answer