We had a Jack Russell puppy with parvo. I was told he got it because I took him out around the neighborhood before he had ALL his puppy shots. He was weak and lethargic and looked near death. After a big vet bill and drugs he recovered just fine.
Our rescue pup broke with parvo 24 hours after we got her. She was 11 weeks old and had just been spayed by the county in order that we could take her.
Get that pup on Tamiflu! It is the only thing that saved our pup. Parvo is deadly to other dogs! Wash everything with bleach.
I’m sorry your pup is going through this. It sounds like you caught it early and that’s a good thing. Parvo has been successfully treated with Tamiflu. Find out if the vet is going this route. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=1885
I adopted a Chocolate Lab puppy in 1994 from a rescue group, he turned out to have Parvo. He was on an IV and under observation for over a week but came through just fine, with the exception of a tiny white patch in his fur on his left paw where the IV was inserted, that little white patch of fur remained there his entire life. He was a beautiful, athletic, smart, loving dog and I loved him dearly in return for 15 years. That’s a grand old age for a large male Lab, but I would have loved to have had 15 more.
All I know is Parvo is really really bad news. We make sure to get ours vaccinated every year. I sure hope they save your puppy.
I’m glad you’re taking care of this baby. Will keep him in my prayers.
Here is a link from holistic vet Karen Becker on the virus. It covers prevention, treatment, symptoms, and who is at risk. Hope it helps:
I just looked up what our pup was on at the vets 5 years ago when she was in isolation for a week-but she was vomiting and had bloody bowel movements.
1ml of Tamiflu for her 13 lbs 2 times a day. She was on metoclopramide, albon and reglan (sp). She had an IV for fluid support with potassium.
My understanding from some friends who still do rescue is that they now combine the Tamiflu with an antibiotic and this seems to work better (but I am not a vet ).
One thing I will say though- YOU are your pups best advocate. If you do not feel your pup is getting the best care then speak up....ask questions....research...it could be the difference between life and death.
Your pup is in my prayers. Best to you and your family!
Don’t listen to those saying “take the puppy back, and get a refund”. You were meant to get that puppy, YOU were meant to save that puppies life. To take him/her back is surely to let it die.
Obviously I’m a dog lover, a retired Marine, but you’re already invested, might as well take the hill while you’re at it.
I’m taking my wife to an appointment and we’re checking on Caliburn this afternoon.
Thank you everyone for all of the advice, prayers and support!
Yes, unfortunately we do. About ten years ago, we got a rescue puppy. Within 24 hours of us getting her home, she acted “strangely”. Parvo. We contacted the shelter and they had already put down the rest of the litter. Okay... it is pricey to treat Parvo. They get really, really sick. They are quarantined and you have to wear booties to go and see the puppy. However, please do this. I am telling you the honest truth that our Gretchen wouldn’t have survived if we didn’t visit her. I think she understood that we wanted her. The good thing is this is happening during the week for you. We had to transfer our dog on a Friday to another doggie hospital that stayed open 24/7 and then transfer her back to vet hospital #1 on Monday.
Your doggie sounds like he/she is doing better than our Gretchen did. At one point, we went to CVS for a human medicine that was sort of a last ditch effort. For the life of me, I can’t remember what it was but it did work. Just so you know, Gretchen didn’t have any long term side effects from the Parvo. Her weight went back up as soon as we got her home. Good luck and prayers for your family. Hugs, Mom
Update -
We checked on him and he’s quarantined. They’ve been giving him an IV with nutrition and antivirals and he looks a bit better.
If he continues to improve they’ll give him soft food tonight or tomorrow.
Thank you all.
Our Zoe got parvo before she came to us. In fact, if not for the parvo, she likely would have ended up in another home. Someone else had a hold on her, she got sick and went into foster care and isolation. We happened to be at the humane society the day she came back in. We asked about getting her. They tried to contact the person with the hold several times, couldn’t get them. She came home with us.
She had a number of health issues, but not related to parvo that I can tell. She grew to be almost Dane-sized, 30-31 inches at the shoulder and #110 lbs. She lived to be a little over 14 1/2 years old. One of the many people who became friends to us through Zoe was a dog behaviorist. When we mentioned that Zoe had parvo when a puppy she laughed and said, “Normally parvo will stunt their growth.” We all wondered how big she might have gotten had she not had parvo.
She’s pictured on my profile page.
Hoping for the best for your pup. Please keep us posted...
UPDATE -
Caliburn is home!
We’ve got some meds but he’s looking a lot better. Apparently, he also had parasites on top of Parvo so he gets one more dose for that plus 6 days worth of tablets.