puppy with parvo

[jbrad]

My 7 week old black lab pup was diagnosed with parvo yesterday. This morning we went back to the vet for more medication and advice. The vet gave us an iv drip, Tamiflu and other anti vomiting meds etc. The vet said its a good thing we caught it so early because he just started vomitting this morning (only once) and has had no blood coming out of either end. He is still eating but is reluctant to drink but a turkey baister and a bit of force fixed that. The vet said he is not yet dehydrated but will become so in the next couple of days. She also advised us to come in if he starts going downhill for full constant iv and medical attention. He also has worms but they are coming out in his poop and he has been given meds for it. He will be under 24 hour supervision because with 5 people in the house its pretty easy to take turns. Ive only had 2 hours of sleep since yesterday and i am feeling it.

I just want to know if anything else should be done to better his chances?

I know that having him at the vets 24/7 would be better but im just not able to afford it and this is only one of 3 doctors in my area that are using the Tamiflu to treat it which from what ive heard if used in the early stages it can dramatically reduce the parvo's effects.

By the way his name is Gunner.

[Mom2Many]

I don't have any advice for you but want to say you are doing such a great thing. Parvo is such a nasty thing to deal with, glad you caught it in the very early stages. Good luck with your puppy, I hope he pulls through ok.

[621mum]

My previous lab mix made it through parvo at 7 weeks. It's a tough thing for them, but it is possible. So, I'll be hoping your doggie has as good of luck with all of that good care.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

So sorry to hear that Gunner has parvo. Your vet is right, he will most likely become dehydrated over the next few days and the one thing that I would suggest is to start SubQ fluids now. Not constant but at least once a day.

I'm assuming that since you were given a bag of fluids already that your familiar with doing SubQ? Not sure how much your pup weighs but 25-50 ml of Normosol R sure would lessen the dehydration. Just my opinion and NOT something that you should do without first speaking to your vet as well as being versed in or taught how to give SubQ.

[jbrad]

our vet has showed us how to do it and told us how much to use and his first home iv went great cept i think we went a little to fast which may have caused him a little extra discomfort.

I think tomarrow we are going to leave him with the vets and there care because he is starting to vomit more often and it has turned a redish color in some instances. He is still drinking water but less frequently and i actually heard him bark for the first time a few hours ago while he was playing with a chew toy (i dont think he was to comfortable with the skweeks it made). The tamiflu seems to do something cause when ever we give it to him he pirks up alittle and get a little more active.

Also I dont know how my mom or the rest of my family can take another dog loss in such a short time. We had to put our 13 year old Lab Skinner down back in february and just now my mom is getting over his death and so am i cause he was like a brother to me only being 4 years older than him i cant remember a time he wasnt in my life.

Now i need to go get some sleep cause 2 hours definatly is not enough for two days worth of puppy care.

[Charlie_boy]

You certainly still need to sleep in order to help lil Gunner. I dont have any advice im sorry but on another forum i am a member of one of the women works in a shelter and she adopted a pup with parvo and he is a fine figure of health now so i guess i just wanted to give you hope and say that getting rid of it can be done! i will keep my fingers crossed for you and him and i will see if i can find out any helpful hints for you from this woman i know!
Keep up the good work!

Shally

[jbrad]

we are going to take him to the vet as soon as my parents get ready and leave him there for atleast till tomarrow because he is vomitting and diarrheaing (is that a word?) more fequently almost every hour. He has stopped eating and drinking so its time for the doctor to have him. I think the next 1-2 days are going to be the worst.

[Pugdawg1]

I wish you all the very best. You are doing good by your dog, giving him every chance! Lots of good thoughts are going your way.

[jbrad]

well the vet just called and said he wasnt getting any better and they want him to goto an emergency 24 hour clinic because they cant offer him that at there business so my parents are going to take him right now.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Originally Posted by jbrad

well the vet just called and said he wasnt getting any better and they want him to goto an emergency 24 hour clinic because they cant offer him that at there business so my parents are going to take him right now.

Good luck...I hope he pulls through and I'll be keeping him in my thoughts and prayers.

[jbrad]

My parents just called and they said they got him to the clinic and they want to do a white blood cell count or somehting and i cant figure out why because every thing i can find about the test is for diagnosis and that shouldent be needed. Is there any other reason to do the test?

[jbrad]

Well just an update but there is good and bad news.

First off hes more active, teething on things again (she said just about everything) and the doctor said hes howling when they leave him alone which he never did before but she also said that his white blood cell count was low and some kind of protien level was low too but she said they should be able to stabalize him which anti biotics and if needed blood plasma from other dogs who have beaten the virus.

So basically his outside appearance has improved but whats going on inside is still looking not the greatest.

[Charlie_boy]

Hi jbrad, well i said i was going to ask the woman i know who helped get a pup through parvo and she has replied to me with some information for you that may help:

Ok....I just got home...sorry I could not answer this earlier!

Whether parvo is caught early on or not...they NEED to be hospitalized continuously and on IV fluids to prevent death. Parvo left untreated is Deadly. The pup that was in our clinic, was diagnosed early on, but every puppy with parvo WILL go through a down slope! Oliver the Boston Terrier was doing wonderful the first couple days...then he had what we call "parvo blowouts"...bloody diarrhea and contious vomiting. Keep in mind he was on supportive therapy too. He was hospitalized for 1 week total. They go home once they are holding their food down again!

If Gunner is vomiting at all...he needs IV fluids around the clock, as vomiting is the quickest way to dehydrate. Why wait the 24-48 hours until he is very dehydrated??? This does not make sense. Parvo is an aggressive virus and should be treated aggressively. Parvo patients treated on an outpatient basuis do have a survival rate, but it is less then 25% and requires daily trips to the vet for treatments.

Another thing...DO NOT let Gunner defecate or vomit outside...Parvo will live where he goes for years! He should be on papers and his area should be cleaned with a dilution of bleach to kill the virus. Make sure you are bleaching his bedding and chaging it often!

My recommendation is the puppy should have never left the clinic. Now I would take it back for hospitalization...or find a vet that knows how serious parvo is!

Did they confirm it with a Parvo test? Did they do any treatments? What kind of a puppy is Gunner? The younger and smaller they are...the harder the fight ahead of him will be! Is he still eating? I could go on....

Hospitalization around the clock is the best chance Gunner has at survival...and even then there are no guarantees.

I hope this helps...if you have any other questions please feel free to ask. I will be busy cleaning this weekend...but will check the board occassionally. Let me know how the pup is doing...

- Jackie

It soudns to me that sending him to the vets and keeping him there was the best thing you could have done for gunner! i hope he pulls through ok!
If you have any more questions then just ask and i will see if i can get an answer from Jackie for you!
Shally

[jbrad]

we went and saw him at the vet today and they said is vitals are normal but his symptoms havent really changed since yesterday. They said he has a low white blood cell count and they are administering more antibiotics to compensate for it. They had put one of those cone things on him cause he was chewing on a few iv tubes last night (from what i understodd more that one was ruined).

The vet also said that his belly was hurting really bad this morning to a point that he wouldent let her touch it, which she thought may have been a secondary thing with the intestins (septic or something where they fold in on them selves iono) but she said she gave him meds and finnally felt him and said that she doesnt feel anything abnormal and his belly isnt hurting as bad anymore.

Also he has always been way more active at night even before he started acting sick. Could this be because where he was born it is like 95* in the day and like 70* at night and maybe he slept during the day and was up while it was colder and thats just what hes used to?

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Originally Posted by jbrad

we went and saw him at the vet today and they said is vitals are normal but his symptoms havent really changed since yesterday. They said he has a low white blood cell count and they are administering more antibiotics to compensate for it. They had put one of those cone things on him cause he was chewing on a few iv tubes last night (from what i understodd more that one was ruined).

The vet also said that his belly was hurting really bad this morning to a point that he wouldent let her touch it, which she thought may have been a secondary thing with the intestins (septic or something where they fold in on them selves iono) but she said she gave him meds and finnally felt him and said that she doesnt feel anything abnormal and his belly isnt hurting as bad anymore.

Also he has always been way more active at night even before he started acting sick. Could this be because where he was born it is like 95* in the day and like 70* at night and maybe he slept during the day and was up while it was colder and thats just what hes used to?

I'm glad he is hanging in there and it sounds like their doing everything for them they can. As for being more active at night, I personally think that just like people, some are day dogs and some prefer night.