# Puppy with parvo



## mattjohnson (Oct 17, 2011)

hi people, 

im not sure if im in the right forum but ill brought a puppy from a pet shop, then after 3 days the dog has got pretty sick so i took it too the vet and found its got parvo so i'm thinking that the pet shop must of had the virus inside the shop but the question's I would like answers too would be 

1. is my puppy going to ok
2. is it going to get parvo again cause its alreadey had it 
3. what happens when i get her back home
4. should i clean my house 
5. what should i do about the pet shop 

thanks matt


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

mattjohnson said:


> 1. is my puppy going to ok


That will depend on how severe it is, if she is getting the right treatment and if the puppy has the will to fight.





mattjohnson said:


> 2. is it going to get parvo again cause its alreadey had it


No, if she survives this, she will never get it again, she will be immune to it.



mattjohnson said:


> 3. what happens when i get her back home


Nurse her back to health.  Make sure she has plenty to drink and you will have to force her to eat most likely at the beginning.



mattjohnson said:


> 4. should i clean my house


YES, specially if there are other dogs in the house. FYI: Only Bleach will kill Parvo. 



mattjohnson said:


> 5. what should i do about the pet shop


Contact them and let them know ASAP!


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Welcome Matt, hope that your puppy is going to be ok. Lots of pups survive parvo after good vet care for it and it is caught quick enough. Wishing you and your pup the best.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

GSDBESTK9 said:


> That will depend on how severe it is, if she is getting the right treatment and if the puppy has the will to fight. *********This is indeed true. Visit your puppy and make sure he or she knows you're there, and help "will it to live", and if you have faith, pray - God cares about his creatures!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


See answers above!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

1sttimeforgsd said:


> Welcome Matt, hope that your puppy is going to be ok. Lots of pups survive parvo after good vet care for it and it is caught quick enough. Wishing you and your pup the best.


The puppy is liable to be okay, there's an 80% chance it will. Especially now that it's in the hospital. 

Remember that parvo kills by fluid loss (hypovolemic shock) and secondary bacterial infections (e coli goes into the bloodstream through the open wounds inside the digestive tract). Hopefully the puppy will survive but there is still a 20% chance it may not live.

We've nursed dozens of puppies through parvo (owner surrenders to the vet clinic) and lost perhaps 1-2 per year.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Our last gsd had parvo and she survived. Like GSDBESTK9 said, you'll have to force her to eat when she comes home. We tried everything, even vanilla ice cream to get her nose in the bowl. I ended up feeding her by hand for a while just to get her to start eating a meal. Hopefully your pup won't be as sick. I would definitely notify the pet shop and ask for help with the vet bills since they sold you a sick puppy. Maybe notify the board of health and local SPCA too


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Well the hospital won't release the dog until it's eating on it's own. It's not really considered "healed" until it is.


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

msvette2u said:


> Well the hospital won't release the dog until it's eating on it's own.


That is NOT true, they release when it starts to eat but not necessarily on its own (that will take a little while for them to want eat on their own) they will force the pup to eat small amounts just like you would have to at first.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

But small amounts of _what_? And actually, as I mentioned already, usually the recovering parvo puppy is thirsty and hungry, we've never had to "force" one to eat.

We do, however, purchase Gerber baby meats (plain meat) and mix it up with water like a slurry for a few days, then add rice (or start with rice and add the meat). If you're having to force a puppy to eat, it's usually not ready and you could harm it more than help it. 
I'd go with your vet's advice on first foods, and feeding schedule. If you cram puppy chow or another kibble down it's throat, you're going to rip up it's delicate and healing insides.


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

I guess you have not had one with a severe case.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

LOL okay...yes we've helped probably 50-100 of parvo cases, "severe" and not so severe, over the past 5 years. One was so bad she took over a week to finally start recovering, she even got a secondary skin infection and huge patches of her skin peeled off. I'd classify that as "severe", wouldn't you?

And we always start with either i/d or Gerber baby meats and when they are ready, they will begin to lick it off a spoon or dab some in a bowl. I'd never stick foods down a dog's throat, it's a good way to get them puking again or (again) rip up their insides which are healing from being ulcerated, which is what parvo does to them.


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

:rofl: Try TWO weeks.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

Hey Carolina I have a question you said the pups were immune afterwards but I've seen a few times on forums where people have said their dogs have survived parvo a few times so is it really impossible to catch it again or is it just really really rare to have it happen again? Wouldn't put it past someone to lie on a forum but seems an odd thing to lie about but seen worse.

as far as OP goes everything she said I'd listen to and as far as forcing them to eat she's not saying shove kibble down it's throat but yummy little softer foods offering by hand instead of just throwing a bowl down and walking away when you're pup comes home it needs to eat and drink to get fully better. Also bleach bleach bleach bleach. Anything this puppy has ever touched or may have possibly touched BLEACH. Scrub your entire house with it spray your entire yard with it (bleach mixed with water) the crate you carried it in etc... everything needs to be fully washed down good with bleach.. especially the outdoors since obviously the pup went potty outside it's going to be in the yard as well. Also anything to boost the pups immune system wouldn't hurt on the road to recovery if you got him into the vets pretty quick he should be ok and definitely let the store know. Check to see if you have any sort of health warranty 3 days is pretty definite it came from there since it can have an incubation period I doubt it contracted it at your house no impossible but highly unlikely also check into other people to call because they need to let other people who bought from there know because if one puppy had it it's likely the others do also.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Vet clinics actually use TriFectant and if you have colored items (such as rugs, furniture, carpet) you want to disinfect, get the TriFectant. 

There's other solutions used by professionals that kill parvo, but if you want to do it cheap you can use bleach, but only at a correct ratio, otherwise you'll cause the solution to not work. I believe it's 1/2 c. per gallon of water. 
Parvovirus will "envelope" and not be able to be killed otherwise.

When we've got parvo puppies here, we put them in ISO, so yes, we put a soft, tasty food in their bowls and monitor their eating, encouraging them to eat, not "forcing" them by putting it in their mouths or down their throats.

And yes, there's many different strains of parvo so they could actually become reinfected with it, but if you follow vaccine protocols this is a rather low chance of re-infection, or infection with a different strain.


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

I've never had an experience or heard of one where a dog/pup has had parvo more than once. And all the vets I have spoken to and articles I've read say they become immune to it. But, I guess anything is possible.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

My girl Omy was seriously ill with parvo and the vet explained that it can settle in the liver and reoccur a few months later. That happened with Omy and it's not that she caught it again, it was still present in her body. As far as the eating goes, when she finally came home she was nothing but a little skeleton with fur. She certainly wasn't eating on her own and we had to feed her by hand to get her interested in food. She never recovered a good appetite.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

As for aftercare, Marvista Vet is one of my favorite sites with tons of info- Caring for the Recovered Dog

And yes, if you have had the flu more than once in your lifetime, you understand there's multiple strains of the flu, and it's possible for a dog to become reinfected with a different strain of parvo. Not necessarily likely, but not completely impossible either.



_Your puppy may be ravenously hungry after going so long without food. Do not allow the puppy to gorge as this can result in vomiting or diarrhea. Feed smaller meals separated by at least an hour or two.

Do not feed table scraps. Stick to the diet recommended by your veterinarian. A prescription diet may have been sent home or a home cooked diet may have been recommended (such as boiled chicken and white rice, or fat free cottage cheese and pasta). It is important for your puppy’s food to be easily digestible so stick to the protocol your veterinarian has recommended._


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## 1rockyracoon1 (May 27, 2010)

i would definitely contact the pet store because it had to of come form there because as holmeshx2 said there is an incubation period of like 5-10 days before you can see signs.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I'd contact the pet store and NOT buy from one again. Pet store puppies come from puppy mills, they don't give two ****s about your dog just the money they get from them and you'll probably end up in a legal battle over getting them to pay the vet bills. :/

As for releasing the dog, I've had two different vets who allowed me to fix the dogs up at home. It's not that hard to give the medications and fluids and I feel like the dog is better off at home where it can be watched 24/7 than at the vet where it's only watched from roughly 7-6 each day.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I would say it depends on the owner...at the vets we use, they give people the option to take the dog home and give it sub-cu fluids. However, if people work all day or don't feel comfortable poking the puppy repeatedly, I'd encourage a hospital stay.

Make sure when you contact the pet store, to do it in writing, because it's too easy to dismiss a verbal complaint. 

And yeah...pet stores are havens for sick animals coming from puppy mills, and even if they arrive semi-"healthy", they can contract illnesses there. 
No reputable breeder would allow their pets to be sold in a pet store. 
And purchasing them from pet stores doesn't "save" the pet, it merely lines the petstores and puppy mills pockets, encouraging them to keep making money on these unfortunate animals.


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## TankGrrl66 (Jun 29, 2010)

Parvo is a very serious disease, especially in very young puppies. IV fluids, medications including antibiotics, and a LOT of TLC is needed to beat parvo. It is going to be expensive...several hundred to a grand is normal.

Do everybody a favor and NEVER buy a dog from a pet store or even any non-reputable breeder ever again. Urge other people to do the same. This sort of crap is common practice with them. They are probably going t otel lyou where to stick it if you ask them to pay for your pups' vet care.

Was there any garuntee against infectious disease? March back in there with the vet bill and a copy of your garuntee. This might even cost you enough to be worth small claims.

Does your state/county/city have "puppy lemon laws"? Look them up.

Report them to animal control and the health dept. Parvo is very serious and VERY contagious.

I hope everything goes well and your puppy recovers.


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