On the morning of Friday Feb. 9th we noticed that our 8 1/2 month old Shih-Tzu had thrown up during the night. We took him to the Vet that morning around 11:00 am. The vet said that he probably just had an upset stomach and a little gas. She gave him a shot for the nausea and prescribed him some medicine to start taking that next day. We took Mack back home and I went back to work and the kids went back to school. That afternoon (around 5:00pm) when we arrived back home, we saw that Mack had been throwing up and his little face was just covered in his own vomit. I immediately called the vet and the girl that answered the phone said that the vet had left and would be unavailable all week-end. She said that she had no one taking emergency calls for her, so I went to the yellow pages and called every vet I could find. We ended up taking him to an Emergency Animal Clinic. At the clinic, the Dr. was concerned that Mack had an intestinal blockage and did all kinds of testing. He did bloodwork, fecal exam, and x-rays. He came back in and said that everything came back okay and he felt as though Mack had gastritis. He was very thorough and went over all of his bloodwork with us. During that time I specifically asked if he thought he could have Parvo (I only asked because 20 yrs ago we lost a lab to the virus and every since then I am severely paranoid about the disease), he said that none of the bloodwork showed Parvo and neither did the fecal exam. He also stated that there was no diarrhea present and there was no diarrhea in his colon (he said it was very solid). The vet gave Mack another shot to stop the vomiting and he also gave him subcutaneous fluid. We took him home and he stopped vomiting. The next morning (Sat.) we gave him the medicine for his stomach and an hour later he had diarrhea. I called the vet and was told if he continued to have diarrhea to bring him him. Sure enough, Mack had diarrhea again and we took him back to the Emergency Clinic. They did some more bloodwork and this time the results came back positive for Parvo. On a scale of 1 -10(10 being the worst) the doctor said that his results came back a 2. They immediately put him in the hospital and began treating him. The next day (Sun) around 2:30 his body temperature began to drop and they could not get it back up. At 5:30 that afternoon we lost our little Mack. Needless to say it was devesting and everyone is still in shock, including the Dr. that treated him because he did not have the usual warning signs and the tests came back negative just 12 hours earlier. Mack was an indoor dog and only went outside to use the bathroom and even then he was walked on a leash. We believe that Mack came in contact with Parvo at the Vets office when we took him in to be neutered just 9 days before he fell ill. After his surgery he was not even taken out to potty because we were scared that he would get his stitches infected (he used his puppy pads) so that visit was the only time he had ever been around any other dogs (other than our 3 1/2 year old Shih-Tzu, GiGi) or place where dogs have been.

I am concerned (maybe paranoid) that GiGi could get or already has the virus. She isn't eating much and seems depressed. She will not touch dog food of any kind, but she will eat her treats and she ate boiled, skinless chicken breast that I made for her last night. She is not throwing up and she does not have diarrhea, but her stool has changed and it is formed but not firm. I took her to the vet (a new one) Monday morning. He gave her a complete check up. He did several test including bloodwork and he also tested her feces. Everything came back okay and he gave her her boosters (for Rabies, Parvo, etc.). He said that he doesn't think she will get sick. He also said that he feels she is not eating because she is grieving. Does anyone know how long the incubation period is in adult dogs? I am just paranoid or could she have the virus and it just hasn't been detected? If it is just grieving how long will it last? If anyone has any advice please post!

I am not sure what the incubation period is in adults, but I think it is fairly short. I doubt Mack picked up the virus when neutered, but could have on the initial visit for vomiting. For additional reliable information on parvo, see Canine Parvovirus, What you should know about I don't pretend to be able to evaluate medical information sites, but I trust the AVMV.

No shot program can guarantee a dog won't get parvo. At least older dogs have a far better chance to survive it. It may be past the incubation period for parvo. The virus will hang around up to 6 months. I would clean everything Mack may have contaminated with chlorine bleach. It is the most effective thing to kill parvo virus.

See the sticky on ''My dog won't eat.'', https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post254171
This is one of the rare cases where tempting the dog with rich food is OK.

GiGi still isn't eating. Yesterday around noon she ate a few nibbles of boiled chicken and rice, but would not take a treat (she loves her treats). She would not eat anything last night or this morning but she is drinking. She has no diarrhea and no vomiting. She just lays around most of the day. However, she will still bark if she hears anything outside and has ran to the door a few times and barked when my daughter sticks her key in the door. I decided to take her to the vet again (since they will be closed for the weekend). GiGi has lost a little weight... about 7 ozs since Monday (I know it doesn't sound like much, but for a Shih-Tzu it is). He ran more tests including a complete CBC and another Parvo Test. The Parvo test was negative. The CBC showed her to be a little anemic (probably because she won't eat). He gave her a shot of antibiotics (Naxcel) and a shot of Reglan for her stomach. He gave us some food to take home with us. He said it is food he gives recovering dogs. It has a lot of protein and vitamins and it is full of calories. He also said we may want to go the store and buy a few jars of baby food (like the chicken puree) because he has found that dogs that are refusing to eat other foods will sometimes eat that.
Well as soon as we got home we tried to feed her a little of the food he gave us and she didn't want anything to do with it. We even tried putting it on our finger and placing it on her tongue and she would just spit it out. I am at my wits end! I have had every test imaginable ran and everything always comes back okay (except for the anemia). Nothing I do is working. I decided a little tough love may be needed so I gave my daughter very strict instructions to NOT tempt her with any "human" food. I put two tablespoons of the dog food her vet gave us in her bowl and I am hoping that when she gets hungry enough she will eat. I have read the sticky on how to get dogs to eat and none of that works on her. Any other ideas??

The sticky is mostly about not tempting them with rich food. You didn't mention trying the baby food. Have you tried a cooked, cut up hot dog or some cheese?

I just learned about trying the baby food this morning when she went back to the vet. No, I haven' t tried a hot dog or cheese... I have only tried her treats and boiled chicken and now I am trying the food the vet gave her this morning, but so far none of it is working. How long should I try the "tough love" theory? If that doesn't work I will try the cheese and hot dogs you have mentioned. What kind of cheese and hot dogs would you suggest? Can a dog actually starve itself to death? I mean I know a dog could starve if it is sick, but GiGi isn't sick... she just won't eat since Mack died.

I have seen experts post that a healthy dog will never harm itself by not eating. I don't remember any reports of it happening. Still, I think there are cases like yours for doing something. She is not the common, picky overfed dog. Keep trying. Don't know as it makes much difference on the hot dogs, maybe matching all beef or chicken to her current chow. Pork isn't supposed to be good for dogs. For the cheese, the stinkier the better.

Yesterday GiGi went all day without eating. Finally around 8:00 pm I fed her two turkey weiners and she ate them. I had to chop them up into VERY small pieces and hand feed them to her. When I first tried to feed them to her she swallowed and then they came right up as if they were getting stuck in her throat. Does anyone know if a dog can have a sore throat or something of that nature? She is drinking a lot of water and urinating, but she did not have a BM all day or night. I know she is not eating much at all but shouldn't she be having a BM? She hasn't been getting any exercise since Mack has been gone, can that contribute to this?

Sounds like maybe a little progress. I don't know about a sore throat. Some exercise might help. Try fetch or a walk. She is less likely to lose interest in a walk.

Gigi, if all else seems to be okay and she is just not eating, it does sound like she is severely depressed from the loss of the other puppy. She needs a lot of attention and reassurance now.

The lack of BM's can be attributed to not eating solids and no exercise.

Take labman's advice. She needs to go for a nice long walk. She needs some exercise. A lot of exercise usually creates an appetite. Play with her. If she does tricks, go through her routine with her or start teaching her new ones. Cut up the hot dogs and cheese into tiny pieces and treat her every time she sits, lies down,. hopefully she will get into that excited stage that dogs usually get into when you go through their routines and she will automatically look for her treat.

As labman said, any stinky cheese will do. But, if she turns her nose up or isn't responding to it, you might want to try those string cheeses that they sell for kids. Anything that might tempt a child like that cheese, baloney, or a little peanut butter might work. Something that has a powerful odor should get her interested.

Thankfully, she is at least drinking her water. You may want to give her some clear low sodium chicken broth. She needs to replace some of the nutrients she is losing.

If she is still not eating properly, take her back to the vets. Have him check to make sure there isn't any kind of obstruction in her throat. Also ask him if it is okay to give some gatorade to replace loss of electrolytes. Most of the time it is not a problem, but I don't want to recommend something that your vet may not.

Last night we took GiGi for a nice long walk at the track. She walked about 3/4 of a mile then begged to be picked up (she is very spoiled). She came in an ate 2 turkey dogs and then later that night she went for a little run on the sidewalk. I am happy to say that she finally used the bathroom, it wasn't firm but I wasn't expecting it to be because she drinks more than she eats. I decided to leave a little moist dog food in her bowl, (about 3 tablespoons of Bentiful) and I noticed that almost all of it was gone (there was probably 1 teaspoon left). Seeing that she did eat a little last night (while we were asleep) I tried giving her a little at lunch. She turned her nose right up and wouldn't have anything to do with it, but she scarfed down 1/2 of a fish stick my daughter was eating. Now that she is showing a little interest in eating and she is behaving a little better, I am going to try not to feed her "human" food in hopes that she will break down and eventually start eating the moist food we leave for her. It is going to be very hard for me not to give in and give her what I know she will eat, but I just think if I keep giving in she will always demand to be hand fed the food she wants. I hope this works. I will keep everyone posted on her progress. Thanks for all your help! If you think of anything that might help just post, I try to check on here daily. Again thanks everyone!

Well, Gigi, I am very glad to hear about the turn around. It does sound like she was depressed and is starting to come out of her "funk." Just a word to the wise -- don't pick her up if you are trying to get her to exercise. I know it is hard looking at that little face but she needs to work up an appetite. You saw what the result was. Let her walk. In the evening or when you are relaxing, you can invite her into your lap and give her a lot of attention then. She does need the comforting. Just try to keep in mind the best times to do this. It should always be the reward for doing what you have asked her to do. Whether it is walking, eating, or doing training. That attention is a reward in and of itself! Misplaced and you will have a very finicky and temperamental dog. Keep up the good work!

Just wanted to update you on GiGi's progress. First, let me start by saying that she is eating again. She is such a little con artist... I have to tell you what she is doing now! If we are home and in the room with her she will not eat... she turns her nose up at everything unless it is hot dogs or boiled chicken AND we are hand feeding it to her. If we do not hand feed her she won't even touch it! Well, when we are gone from the house or during the night while we are sleeping she will go to her bowl and eat all of her food! I think she has us suckered! Anyway, she is eating, playing, and singing (yes, she loves to sing!) and she is getting better every day. We will be getting a new puppy soon, I hope that doesn't throw her back out of sorts! Thanks for everyone's help! It was greatly appreciated! Thanks labman... the hotdogs did the trick!:D

I am so glad that she is responding. But, it might be best to wait to get another puppy for 6 months. I am sure labman will weigh in on this. I know it is hard to wait, but you want to make sure the virus that induces Parvo is completely gone from your home. I believe 6months is a safe date, but labman will have to verify for me.

Also, you need to make sure Gigi needs to be completely over the loss of the other pup before you introduce a new one again. They do get depressed, as you have seen, and they do grieve.

Obviously, the final decision is up to you but please give some thought to what I am saying.

Once they have a taste of the good stuff, they are very proficient at working you to get more. That is why I strongly oppose starting except if an extreme case like yours. So maybe let her continue her trick a little while, while reducing the chicken and hot dogs. Once they are gone, and she is nearing her ideal body condition, start taking up her regular chow after 15 minutes. Review the sticky if you need to.

I covered getting a new puppy at the beginning of the thread. The sooner you get one, the more likely to have problems.

Well, it has been a while since I posted and I thought I would take a minute to post some very interesting and shocking news. I began posting because I was concerned that GiGi wasn't eating because she was mourning the loss of Mack. Well last week I found out that more than likely the "Mourning sickness" was more than likely "Morning sickness"! Yep, that's right GiGi is pregnant and about ready to deliver! It seems that approximately one week before Mack was neutered he had gotten to her. Everything is happening so quickly I feel like my head is spinning. During the time GiGi was sick and we kept taking her to the vet, I asked if there was anyway she was pregnant. The Dr. checked her and said she wasn't and that with Mack's age he doubted very seriously he would have gotten her pregnant. About 2 weeks ago I noticed that GiGi was gaining weight around the middle so I took her to the vet and sure enough she was pregnant. He took an x-ray and was able to tell me she is having 5 puppies. I felt awful because I had no idea (she was pregnant), but he explained that it is hard for someone that hasn't been around dogs to know they are pregnant until they start showing and by then they are in their last 2 to 3 weeks of pregnancy. I felt bad that I didn't know that GiGi was in heat in January, but he also calmed me by letting me know that in dogs that keep themselves as clean as she does, its hard to know what to look for. Well wish us luck... I will keep everyone informed!

I am not going to beat up on you for it, although I am distressed about the 10,000,000 dogs we slaughter every year for lack of homes. I may even cut you a little slack. With so much hair and so little dog, I can see how you missed it. With the Labs, usually there is no trouble spotting the swollen vulva before it starts. And the smaller the dog, the harder it is to tell they are pregnant.

We are always happy to have updates here.

So what have you done, in the home environment, to ensure that the parvo virus is eliminated, especially with new puppies on the way?

Labman, thanks for cutting me some slack. Remember I did take Mack and had him neutered also.
As for the question concerning the Parvo virus in my home. I have done everything imaginable. I have cleaned EVERYTHING from ceiling to floor, bed linens, towels, carpets, you name it EVERYTHING has been cleaned and steamed with BLEACH numerous times. I threw away all pillows and bought new ones (because they couldn't be washed and I didn't want to risk it) I only have carpeting in the bedrooms and the rest of the floors are tile (which have been mopped with bleach water so many times I have lost count). The carpets have been steamed cleaned using a bleach solution 3 times (by me) and professionally cleaned once. Everything that Mack played with, slept on, etc was removed from the home a long time ago. GiGi is up to date on all her shots and Mack got her pregnant BEFORE he caught Parvo. The vet tested GiGi 3 different times for the Parvo virus and all three times it came back negative. When testing he (the vet) did a fecal exam and blood testing to cover all bases. I have no yard what-so-ever, I live in a cement and asphalt world, so I didn't have to worry about the ground, yard, leaves, etc. As Labman suggested, I have long ago changed the route of our walks.
I have covered everything I can and then some. Please don't think that inquiring about the pups catching Parvo wasn't the FIRST thing I asked the vet, because it was! He assured me that he thinks everything will be fine and there shouldn't be any problems. He stated that the puppies will have their moms immunities and then we will start their shots as soon as possible.

GiGi gave birth to 6 little ones yesterday afternoon! Unfortunately the last puppy she delivered died this morning. He was delivered at least an hour after the others and he was very unexpected (the vet only counted 5 on the x-ray) I noticed that he opened and closed his mouth very oddly and he could not suckle. We did everything we could, but the poor little fellow just couldn't fight anymore. GiGi is doing fine, but I have a question! GiGi doesn't lay on her side so the puppies can get to her teats. She keeps laying on her stomach and they can't get to them. We have to turn her on her side so they can nurse. The problem is they need to nurse during the day and I am at work. I leave at 8, back in at lunch, then I don't get back home again until around 4:30. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to get GiGi to turn to her side so they can nurse? Oh, one more thing... she is a really good Mommy and she stays with her pups and is constantly cleaning them, but she gets really panicky when they start whining. She will stand up and move around and sniff them and lick them and move them around, and then she will start whining and looking at us as if to say "What do I do?". Is this normal? How can we help her?

Get a book. I should have told you that the other day. Breeding dogs is not a simple task you can largely leave up to them. It was a big mistake not spay/neutering your dogs by 6 months. Successful Dog Breeding, by Chris Walkowicz, DMV should be a good one, but at this point anything you can lay ahold of is better than nothing.

New born puppies can't relieve themselves without the stimulation of their mother licking them. She should be give room to carry whining puppies away from the nest and lick them until they eliminate. Then carry them back and get the next one. If the mother has room to do that, it makes a big difference in housebreaking the puppies.