# 8 Weeks with Parvo....



## polo (Jun 27, 2010)

Polo turned 8 weeks yesterday, i noticed for the past 2 days his appetite had decreased, he was vomiting and diarrhea. I was unable (per the vets instructions) to take him for any vaccinations until he was 8weeks old. i took him today to get his first shots and standard testing included Parvo, his results came back positive.... The Dr. said the risk of Polo dying is 80% higher then his survival. Ive only had him for 2weeks but as a mother you learn to love them as your own. My 3yr old is crazy about Polo and its breaking my heart seeing him slowly dying.


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

Is he at the vets now? If not are you giving plenty of fluids? What does his stool look like? I had a batch of pups 9yrs ago that had parvo only one survived it was horrible. I'm so sorry.

Do you know did the mother have her shots?


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## polo (Jun 27, 2010)

No hes not at the vets, hes going again tomorrow. The problem is he wont take his fluids. I offered alot of different foods nothing work. last night he pooped 2xs, one was the regular logs and then second was bloody diarrhea. He has not pooped since then nor has he eaten or drank anything. I did check with his mother, she was NEVER vaccinated which is very sad. These pups were brought from PA to VA, his brother of birth is fine. They were both tested.


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## BLUE PIT BULL MAN (May 22, 2009)

the puppies shopuld have the first shots at weening. not at any certian age. the pups no longer have antibodies from their mothers at that point and need the vaccine. and soory to here about your situation i have helped a couple pups pull threw with tuna puree mixed with vitamins and water and i forced it down the pups throat 50 times a day or so. takes alot of work but it can be done good luck


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

Keep trying  D*mn, this isn't right! I hope everyone has Polo in there thoughts and prayers.


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

That is very sad that the mother had no vaccination. 

You need to get fluids in him. Did the vet show you how to force fluids with a syringe? The stool doesn't sound right. It should be very mucousy. blood I would think more along the lines of worms.


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## BLUE PIT BULL MAN (May 22, 2009)

what color are the gums? if they are pale its probly hook worms.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Oh no that's terrible. I hope he pulls through.


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## MaxPower (Jun 27, 2010)

Hang in there Polo!!

I just made it through with a parvo survivor! By no means am a vet or expert, but have been reading and learning night and day recently. So I hope this helps!

*What kills them is the dehydration!*
- They will not want to drink, and if they do, it won't stay down. So your options are hospital stay with an IV, which is the best. Next is a sub-cue injection. I was doing this 3x a day. The vet can give you an "IV type" bag of fluids with a large gauge needle to take home and give. This leaves a big bubble on the back of the neck they can absorb. The other is to give an enema. From what I've read they retain more fluids this way, so if he's getting bad, suck it up and do it.

Vets do not have a cure, so you need to get him through the first 4-5 days without dehydrating before the system can start to fight and come back.
They can however treat side effects, like vomiting which will help retain fluids. And the secondary infections that occur do to the tearing up of the GI.

If the tests came back for Parvo that's what you're fighting right now, any worms can be dealt with as well and eliminating them will help, but DO NOT neglect the Parvo, it's extremely deadly, you do have a chance and now is the time to act. DON'T GUESS!! Keep the dog HYDRATED!!

Please feel free to ask any questions... GOOD LUCK! I know what you're going through.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

BLUE PIT BULL MAN said:


> the puppies shopuld have the first shots at weening. not at any certian age. the pups no longer have antibodies from their mothers at that point and need the vaccine. and soory to here about your situation i have helped a couple pups pull threw with tuna puree mixed with vitamins and water and i forced it down the pups throat 50 times a day or so. takes alot of work but it can be done good luck


The antibodies can stay with the pup as long as 20 weeks in rare cases. Follow a standard vaccination protocol is recommended, many pups wean as early as 4 weeks but a 5 way vaccine should not be given at that time it can be dangerous. for example I vaccinated my litter at 4 weeks with Parvo only not the 5 way, then that vaccine is a 5 way then you go to a 7 way plus corona if you need it. Vaccinating a puppy as early as 4 weeks with a 5 way can be very dangerous so parvo only is what is normally give at that age.

You also have to be careful about force feeding a Puppy so they aspirate the fluid, that will kill them.



MaxPower said:


> Hang in there Polo!!
> 
> I just made it through with a parvo survivor! By no means am a vet or expert, but have been reading and learning night and day recently. So I hope this helps!
> 
> ...


:goodpost:

I didn't see where this dog had worms but DO NOT TREAT for worms now wait till the dog recovers. Worms are the least of his problems but treating them now could kill the puppy.

To have the best chance of surviving your pup needs to be on IV fluids. You pup can;t drink enough to keep hydrated at this point so IV fluids is your best bet. The incubations time on parvo is 10 days so 10 days from when the pup first got sick is when they picked up parvo. If you had the puppy for 2 weeks before then the puppy was exposed at your place. This is why it is very important they do not go any where till vaccinated but sadly you could carry Parvo home on your shoes from a trip too the pet store. I wish you luck with your pup and get him on fluid as soon as possible!
\
Also I would go after the vet who said not to vaccinate him, if the puppy is healthy they should be vaccinated starting at 6 weeks for a 5 way vaccine.


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## FloorCandy (Feb 19, 2009)

It took me a while to search it, but Deb (Geisthexe) had given great Parvo advice to someone, and probably has done it several times in the past as well. Here's a link to that thread, she really knows her stuff:

http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/25516-parvo.html


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

This is also a great website for parvo and treating at home but if you can afford it put them on fluids. I had a fully vaccinated dog get parvo at 7 months old. Her mothers antibodies stayed in her system for almost 18 weeks and all the vaccines I gave did not work because of that. She had a mild case because she was older but I know what your going through! hang in there and I wish the best.
Home Parvo Treatment ~ Healing Parvo Puppies ~ Page 1


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## Saint Francis (Jun 2, 2010)

Any update on Polo?


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## pitties4life (Jul 6, 2010)

I just helped a puppy get through parvo a few months ago. Not only do they get beyond dehydrated, they lose electrolytes and other important things that help keep their system running. Sub-Q fluids are the best way to do that, if you cannot keep your pet at the vet for a hospital stay, ask your vet if they will show you how to administer sub-q fluids. Some will do so. Otherwise, ask for an injection called Cerenia, it is an anti-nausea medicine, and will reduce the vomiting. It does not stop it entirely, but it seems to make a difference, and the puppies can absorb a bit of fluid before they vomit it back up. Some vets recommend you give pedialyte or gatorade via syringe, but there are things in them that are not good for the puppies, and will actually cause them to vomit more. What you can do is use a herbal tea mixture. There is also a medicine called Parvaid that the vet recommended. 

Take a look at parvobusters.com, they have a recipe for a parvo emergency tea, this is what I gave my pup who looked like she wasn't going to make it. After 12 hours of helping her with fluids, I finally gave up because I could barely keep my eyes open, and went to bed, thinking she wasn't going to make it through the night. Morning came, and she was up and walking around the bathroom. 

The biggest thing to keep in mind, is regardless of what happens to your puppy, PLEASE make sure you disinfect your house extremely thoroughly. The only thing that kills parvovirus is bleach. Slightly diluted bleach solutions should be used on practically everything your puppy touched, especially areas where they vomited/urinated/defecated, etc. If you have other dogs, this is beyond important. Make sure all your other dogs are vaccinated and up to date on their boosters, etc. 

Your vet can also prescribe an anti-biotic like amoxicillin for your puppy to help kill any remaining infections after the initial few days have passed. Also, one other thing to keep in mind is that the parvovirus is shed in their feces, urination, and vomit, and can commonly cling to their fur if they have laid in or stepped in any of their bodily fluids. So major cleaning is important during this process. The cleaner you keep things for the puppy, the better. 

Good luck, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I have a second puppy that may potentially still develop the virus, I am waiting to booster him for another week so as to not mess up his immune system more if it is already compromised. The incubation period is anywhere between 4-14 days after exposure, most commonly between 8-12.


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