Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

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RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

My puppy tested positive for parvo after we thought she was just sick with worms. the next day that we took her to the vet, the vet suggested a parvo test because she had kept vomiting. I cried knowing that there was only a 15 percent chance I could save her as it said on the literature that they hand you. I did not want to lose my baby midnight. the vet assured me that the chances of him surviving the illness were very slim because he was a pup and only 2 pounds with little fat reserve. immediately after I left the vet I bought 2 bottles of pedialyte and began give him 1/2 cc every 15 minutes.

I would eventually increase the amount of pedialyte as I noticed no vomiting. I also found some antibiotics that my niece had that i gave every 4 hours. the first day he slept all day dry nose and I was very worried that he would be worse the next day but i prayed for the best and kept up the pedialyte very very important every 15 minutes. I had no sleep but by day 2 my puppy showed improvement. no vomiting and no diarrhea so I began to give small amounts of bland white rice chicken and small curd cottage cheese. offering this several times not forcing. Eventually he did start to get diarrhea around the third or fourth day and so I upped the pedialyte to 2 1/2 ccs as much as I could get without him vomiting. by day 5 he barked and began to drink and eat more. day 6 diarrhea is gone and day 7 he is done with antibiotics. Please don't give up on your pup no matter how much the odds seem to be against you.

Have faith. My midnight is alive and well on day 7 and I thank the lord. Watch your dog and if he or she is looking sick take them in for a parvo test right away the earlier it is detected the higher the survival rate. God bless to all. My email is rsedillo AT clearwire.net

Post by moname

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

First of all let me say to anyone who has to watch their dog or puppy suffer through Parvovirus, my heart goes out to you. I am currently going through this myself, and it appears that our puppy may be going to pull through. I know that there are many web sites that will offer tons of advice, and there are many good suggestions that are out there but I will share what I have learned and what has got our puppy through this so far.

The first signs that any dog has parvo is simple, watch for a change in their behavior- if they are sleepy and seem to be out of their normal behavior you should start to keep an eye out on them at this point. Notice if your puppy seems to be eating less then not at all- ( I wish that I had known this earlier )

Second when your puppy starts to vomit (if it is a yellowish foam- your need to be aware that this is probably going to turn out to be parvo) You may also notice that your puppies urine may have a strong smell that your have never noticed before. Then the last and most telling sign is runny, black, diarrhea-( with an odor that you can not miss ) Your puppy has Parvo. I hope that you have been treating your puppy prior to noticing the last sign I mentioned- the explosive and horrible smelling diarrhea.

* Let me say that I did take our puppy to the vet the second day that I noticed that he was not eating- and the vomiting started. I was given medication for the vomiting ( Cerenia-which you may be able to purchase at the pharmacy or a pet medication supplier) it will stop the vomiting. It is very important that you stop the vomiting and keep your puppy hydrated. As it is common knowledge among anyone who has had any experience with Parvo knows the virus is not the killer of puppies- it is the lack of fluids, or dehydration.

If you can not get your puppy to the vet, which I strongly recommend you try in order to determine what is actually going on for sure, you need to hydrate your puppy and this will save his life. We gave our puppy Pedialyte, force feeding him with a syringe about 3-4 cc every hour for 24 hours. After your puppy starts to feel a bit better he will start to crave water, as his/her body needs the water to help eliminate the virus from their body. However you can not let them drink as much as they would like as it will induce vomiting and it will only make things worse. If they are going to their water bowl then give them a small amount (skim) the bottom of the bowl-you will need to continue to administer Pedialyte with the syringe every 2-3 hours at about 3-4cc per dose. Until your puppy has a normal bowl movement continue this process.

This is what we are doing and it is working- I hope that it helps as much as it helps us. I know my puppy is not out of the woods yet but he is much better than he was two days ago. Once the puppy has made it past the 72 hour mark with this treatment and they seem to be doing any better or just holding their own, you have a pretty good chance that they are going to have a full recovery. Best wishes to anyone who needs this advice.

Post by bpbville

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

I am about to go pick up my puppy who has parvo. Once we pick him up he will have been at the vet 24 hours. Unfortunately, we can't afford for him to stay any longer. His bill is already over $1000. We don't have that kind of money right now, so we have to take him home. The dr is going to send us home with some stuff and teach me how to administer some of the meds; I think for hydration? I may also try some of the ideas on here. While they may or may not help, I don't think they can hurt. The kids are already so sad, please wish us luck that he pulls through this! Any other suggestions will be appreciated!

Post by sweethart73

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

A little over a month ago I found 2 puppies abandoned in the woods near a relatives house. I knew the starving puppies would die soon if I didn't do something. So I took them home. The girl, Lady, stayed with me and my husband. The boy, Tramp, stayed with my mom. My mom couldn't keep Tramp because of her living situation, so I took him too.

Lady has always been small and had more noticed problems than Tramp, so I think her weak immune system is what initially helped her get Parvo. Of course any dog can get it, shots or not, and people will down you if your dog is not vaccinated and gets it or if you don't have the money to get them thousands of dollars worth of treatment, but I won't. I would have taken her to the vet if it didn't cost $3000.00. The vet said I could pay a few hundred and take her home for treatment if I opted to. A few hundred might as well be a thousand in these trying times. The only other option was to give her up and have her put to sleep. My husband and I considered this option just yesterday morning. We decided to help her fight for her life.

Everyone has good intentions, and if you are like me, you were going to go after you paid your bills on your next paycheck, then your dog got sick first. Obviously you researched Parvo online, because here you are reading this. I did too. There were a lot of great ideas. The only problem with feeding your dog rice and hamburger and pedialyte is that eventually some dogs won't eat or drink anything and when you force them to they throw it back up.
People may criticize you for trying to treat it at home, but if it is life or death choose life.
Here's what I did:
*Pedialyte (cheap brand is ok)
*Pepto bismal (cheap brand is ok too)
*Yogurt (not especially good for dogs, but it sticks better than anything I tried and helps stop malnutrition)
*Large medicine dropper
*Round the clock watching, loving, force feeding, acting positive

I sucked up a dropperful of each of these and gave to her forcefully by mouth every hour or 2, whichever she could hold at the time. It may seem mean and some people will say don't force your dog, but I am telling you to do it because my dog was literally on her death bed and now she is hopping around and eating.

Your baby may fight you in this as mine did, but it is worth it. If she/he throws up, wait a few minutes till they calm down and do it again. Again, I didn't listen to people who told me not to. This was Lady's life at stake. She threw it up for 3 days, but on the fourth afternoon she suddenly wanted my pork chop. I wouldn't have opted to give her that to start back with, but it was the 1st sign she was getting better, so I gave her tiny pieces and little sips of water the rest of the day. Today is the 5th day and she is eating a little more and wants to play! What a miracle!

My husband and I are so happy about our decision to help her live, but it was also her WILL to live. We showed her love and constant support and allowed her to rest a LOT. She slept with me and my husband slept on the sofa. She threw up on me and had it so bad with all the diarrhea(I know I spelled that wrong) we really thought she was dead already a lot of the time, but that look in her eyes said"Help Me", so we did.

Remember to make the room she is in as cheerful as possible when she is awake and as quiet as possible when she sleeps. Always hug her/him and show your love. It will make them want to live. Our other dog is bigger and stronger so we are hoping he will be fine, but if Parvo strikes again we will be sure to treat him fast as possible.
I hope this helped at least one person to save their baby! In Love, Kim

Post by kimberlyruth

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

We used a natural remedy for parvo a few years ago called Parvaid - http://www.parvopuppy.com or http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/parvaid.html It works excellent and prevents over 90% of puppies who have come in contact with the virus from getting it, if dosed preventatively.

Hope this helps!

Post by healthy pets

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

Pedialyte does help. If your dog has already lost interest in eating and drinking, I suggest using a medicine syringe, (I used an old one that I used to use to give my baby medicine) Fill the syringe and place at the back of the mouth GENTLY dispense the pedialyte (or cheap version of) into the back of the throat. Orange or no flavor tastes best. It has a good taste my puppy just drank it from a bowl. I also have had success with POWDERED GATORADE drink mix. You can mix a scoop with a can of canned dog food mix well. It is much cheaper than the vet. Continue to administer electrolytes (gatorade, pedialyte, powerade) every few hours until the dog is drinking on their own. This could take days. I hope you have success with your puppy as well.

Post By Jessica from Oklahoma (Guest Post)

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

I want to thank you for this. I have a puppy with Parvo right now. I am so worried about him, and I am doing my best to keep him hydrated. Though he keeps throwing up. I took him to the vet, and they gave me meds for him, but he is still not eating, he is drinking and getting sick right away. I will try for the night of course, but first thing tomorrow he is going to another vet, and is going to be put on an IV drip.

Post By Angela Johnson (Guest Post)

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

I was told that the medicine that you inject, is nothing but a parvo vaccine. They said you treat parvo, with the vaccine for it. Haven't tried it, but that is what I have heard. And you can get it at any farm supply store, some hardware stores carry it, too. I give our dogs their boosters every year, and save a lot of money that way. I don't give the rabies, you have to have that done by a vet, but some states let you do your own rabies. It isn't hard to give your own booster shots at all. And it doesn't hurt the dog one bit.

Post By Dani (Guest Post)

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

My dog was showing a few of the symptoms of the parvovirus. There was blood in her stool, she was throwing up, and she was depressed-like and weak. Strangely enough, she's not dehydrated (she's super thirsty), but her appetite has dwindled. All of this happened so suddenly that I was scared and I didn't know what to do. I'm a college freshman, so I definitely did not have the money to treat her professionally. I tried this rice tip, and so far things seem to be sailing smoothly. She hasn't thrown up in two days, her stool is without blood, and she's a little more lively. As soon as I get the money, I'm going to order Parvaid and the other recommended med. :) I'm going to double check with a vet before I get too far ahead, though.
Thank you so much.

Post By Nikki (Guest Post)

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

Hi my chi just recovered @ home from parvo. I know she had it because i had paid 150. for the visit & test only. She started getting depressed, just not her self, then she just quit eating and drinking lost weight real fast. Then she started to throw up a lot, so i took her to the vet.

I was told 3 things 1,put her in the hospital to be put on IV and treatment at a cost of 1500. lowest to 2050. the highest 2, surrender her to be treated and then put up for adoption 3 ,to put her down .

Not going to happen. Let me tell you, I have no money for her to stay. My heart broke to let her go in option 2 & 3 , so I made a few calls and a friend looked it up, and said I can do it at home. So I took her home with a prayer in my heart that I was doing the right thing.

I went to the corner pet store and got PARVAID ,some PEPTO for her tummy, and some LIQUILYTES for babys. I started with 1st treatment of just two drops, parvaid in the mouth then one syringe of the liquilyte . I gave her 2 drops of parvaid every hour, till she was ready to drink on her own. if your dog won't let you give it to her /him orally the give the mixture in an enema the intestines will absorb it . Soon with love & care your dog will get better. She got sick on Friday, I took her to the vets, and by Sunday she was chasing the cat around. Feed them what ever they can keep down. Try baby foods.

Post By Barbara (Guest Post)

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

Intravenous fluid therapy is the mainstay of treatment for this illness. Administration of serum and newer colloidal fluids along with traditional fluid therapy seems to help puppies survive. Antibiotics are necessary to prevent secondary bacterial illnesses. Since Clostridium species bacteria are a common secondary problem, amoxicillin and antibiotics with similar spectrum are often used.

Post by dontH8faith

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

Don't even have a dog - but after reading so much about parvo here - I looked it up & found a great article here -
http://www.workingdogs.com/parvofaq.htm
It's a virus, so can't be cured - and you can only treat the symptoms - Note also how very contagious it is!

Post By pamphyila (Guest Post)

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

Yes, treatment at the vet's for Parvo can be VERY expensive - $500 - $6,000 per dog are the costs we've come across.

We've heard one vet say that 75% of his clients opt to have their dogs put down because they can't afford to pay for the treatment. This is really sad as there are cheaper methods of treating Parvo-infected dogs at home that have a 90% success rate.

We've not come across the rice solution before, and wonder how effective it will be given that dogs with Parvo typically can't keep any food down. Do you know the reasons why it is suggested that rice will help, or how effective it is at doing whatever it does?

While Pedialyte can be good, a better solution is to make the Parvo Emergency Tea Recipe. This uses ingredients you can easily find at your local supermarket and/or pharmacy, and it not only helps to re-hydrate your sick dog, but it also provides some nutrients.

What parvo medicine is it that you can buy at the pharmacy? It sounds as though you're talking about IV / SubQ fluids, in which case these too will provide hyration support, but they won't do much to help with the Parvovirus itself as there is no cure for this virus. (It can be treated, but that's a different matter altogether.)

As for keeping them hydrated, you're right, that's a must. However, you must also be careful not to over-hydrate them, as this can put a huge strain on their heart and can even kill them.

We really would suggest that people read a free book, called Parvo Treatment 101, that my wife and I put together. It tells you all about Parvo, how it strikes, treatment options (including safe and cost-effective herbal remedies you can administer to your dog at home), disinfection guidelines, and much, much more. You can find your free copy at http://www.ParvoBook.com/thriftyfun

Post by markfarrar

RE: Parvo Advice For Those Who Can't Go To The Vet

Thank you, Faith for posting that. I know that folks should not get pets unless they are in a position to pay for their care, but that is in a perfect world.

I have 5 cats and 2 dogs. I have chosen only 1 of each. The rest of the menagerie have been ferrel or stray...they chose me. It is not always fun to smell the cat boxes, or change the litter and vacuum and sweep every day. If the truth be told, I HATE picking up the doggie poop in the yard. But, hey, I'm grateful to have a yard to offer and I'm paid back tenfold in unconditional love.

We can't always afford the vet bills when they happen. Some folks can't afford them at all.

BUT in my humble opinion, it beats the **** out of what would have likely happened to the animals (who are now our precious pets), had I and many, many others out there like me, not taken them into our homes and done our upmost to keep them healthy, fed and loved.

Your post may well save a pup or many...and I'm sure some folks will post that you must take the pet to the vet. Very true. But sometimes home care is the only alternative. I sure don't know any vets who work for free.

Spaying and neutering is imperative!!!

Exhaust all resoures (friends, foes, Craigslist.org, no-kill shelters, church, etc.) maybe your vet will extend credit. But by all means, try to save a life whenever you can.

Ok, I'm geting off the soap-box now I think there is a line forming behind me!

Post by nancycorinne

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