I adopted a puppy from our local pound two days ago. He's about nine weeks old. At first, he was relatively playful, ate a bit (although not as much as I though he should), pooped once (solid) and seemed generally okay except for a hacking cough. I brought him to the vet yesterday, and he was found to have a temperature about a degree and a half above normal. The vet put him on antibiotics (Clavamox) and also gave me some tablets for cough and instructed me to administer one half tablet every eight hours. At about 3:45 a.m. the puppy's wimpering awakened me. I let him out of his kennel, and he went out and peed in the yard. Then, I put him back in his kennel. At about 7 a.m. I awoke to find a good bit of foul-smelling mucousy goo on his face, ears, etc. I cleaned him up, put him on his doggie bed and covered him with a soft towel. He has been lethargic all day, refusing to eat or play. I have been able to get him to willingly lap up water from time to time, and by the hardest I spoon fed him chicken broth mixed with a little puppy chow. I reported his condition to the vet today via phone and was told they'd done all they could really do to treat his illness... I'll just have to wait and see. I'm so worried! I have little experience with dogs. (I've had cats.) I don't want to just sit and watch this sweet little thing die! Any advice on what to do or ideas on what could be afflicting him? My kids (and I!) will be crushed if this ends badly! Help!

If it is something viral, the antibiotics may not help much or much else. You just have to hope there is enough dog there to carry it through. If he develops diarrhea, it could be parvo needing immediate IV replacement of fluids.

If he is worse in the morning, get back with the vet. If they still don't want to do anythng, try another one.

If he is worse in the morning, get back withthe vet. If they still don't want to do anythng, try another one.

I agree, call another vet.

What is it with these stories of veterinarians telling people that there's nothing else they can do? Get a second opinion if he doesn't respond to the medication soon.

Did the doctor give a diagnosis for your puppy's ailment?

Thanks to you both. The pup actually is looking a little perkier now. We're still not out of the woods, but it's looking much more promising than earlier today. I noticed he seemed intersted in my dinner, so I made him a little bowl with pieces of my chicken soaked in a little broth. He ate a fair amount. I'm thinking maybe since he was a stray all he'd ever had before was scraps. My next challenge will be to get him eating puppy chow, I suppose.

I'd thought of the viral angle... a definite possibility. No, the vet didn't make a specific diagnosis. I've been analyzing the vet's rationale all day, wondering why he wouldn't try to do more. Since he was a pound puppy and before that a stray, the vet said he could have picked up any number of ailments. The hacking cough is indicative of a respiratory infection, so antibiotics seemed a natural step. I don't know why he said there wasn't anything more to do. This guy's an experienced and respected vet who is near retirement age. I've been taking my cats to him for more than a decade. I was really surprised by his response today (relayed by an employee over the phone.) I guess since the dog wasn't showing signs of any of the major canine diseases (parvo, distemper, rabies) he figured either he'll respond to the antibiotics, lick it on his own or succumb; and, if the latter were to end up being the case, then at least I'd be spared the expense and hassle of another visit. Since the dog has been drinking water and taking the antibiotics, I suppose hydration or medication by IV wouldn't be necessary.

Well, thanks again. I'll post tomorrow on his progress. If his condition doesn't improve or worsens, I plan to try another clinic.

I didn't mean to imply that your vet was being neglectful, I'm sure he's a fine doctor. It just seems that lately I've seen a lot of posts on this forum where people say that the vet 'doesn't know what's wrong'. It just baffles me.

But it does seem promising that he's feeling a bit better and I hope he continues on to better health!

We are happy to hear your puppy is doing better. We may be getting a negative view of vets here. The people that take their dog to the vet and get a diagnose and the correct treatment don't come here with questions. But vets are not miracle workers. Different things can cause different symptoms and not all dogs with the same thing have the same symptoms. Communication is a big problem. The dog can't talk and the owners may mislead the vet.

Viral stuff like parvo doesn't have a cure. All they can do is put the dog on IV to keep it from dehydrating and hope the dog makes it. Sadly many little ones that just won somebody's heart, don't. People new to the dog world can get blind sided by parvo.

Maybe 50% of the vets graduated in the bottom half of their class, but they met very demanding requirements. Most of them are still competent, caring individuals.

Sounds like upper respitory or kennel cough; if they said they did all they can do. Problem with kennel cough is that it is viral and you have to let it run its' course. So they put your pup on antibiotics to fight any secondary infections like bronchitis or pnemonia. The cough tablets so he doesn't hack himself to death or get a very sore throat.
It is very common with animals adopted from shelters, animal controls, etc.
Here is a good link about it http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/dekcough.html.
Hope he is better soon!

Thanks, doggie_poopie! :o You know, amazingly this has never come up, and I hadn't thought of it, although now that you mention it, I have heard of kennel cough before. I'm sort of a doggie novice. (I haven't had one since I was a kid.) It sounds EXACTLY as though he's got something caught in his throat. At first, I was certain some small object would come hurling out of him... but no, only the occasional snot wad.

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. He was perkier earlier in the day. I bought a few different types of puppy food, hoping to figure out which would appeal to him most before buying in bulk. He did nibble a little of a Pedigree wet puppy pack. This had me really excited, but then he threw it up all over my couch hours later. :( Occasionally he wandered around the house and yard today, but mostly he's just lied there looking all sad and pitiful. I'm actually relieved to hear that kennel cough can last a few days. Since he's been this way for about 48 hours now, I was just starting to worry again about him having some horrible terminal illness. Maybe it just needs to run its course and then he'll be fine. He's still sipping water from time to time, walking okay and peeing and pooping out in the yard... all good signs. Also, a friend of mine whose dad is a vet said to check the color of his gums. Apparently whitened gums are a bad sign. Pink means healthy, and his are nice and rosy, so that's good.

Okay, so right after my last post he vomited all over the floor. It consisted only of the cheese I stuffed his antibiotic in about four hours ago and water.:(

And at 5:30 a.m. the diarhhea begins. :confused: This is horrible. I was starting to become so optimistic, but this is a bad, bad sign. From what I've read online, he could have parvo or distemper. :( :( The fact that he didn't have diarrhea was the only thing that was causing me to rule out those diseases. Yesterday, it seemed like he was getting better, but now he seems much worse. I'm calling the vet at 8:00.

Parvo is nothing to take chances with. Here is an authoritative source for more information, http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/canine_parvo/parvo_brochure.asp

If you have vomiting, bloody diarrhea and lethargy I would suspect Parvo. However a bad case of whipworms or hookworms can cause diarrhea. Also, a protatoza called Coccidia can look and smell like Parvo. Get your pup to the vet!!
Unfortunately, all the above diseases or parasites are common in pound puppies.:(

I did get him back to the vet today. They pumped him with fluids via IV. (He was beginning to dehydrate.) They also gave me some pills to stop the vomiting. These work fairly well, although he still did throw up the little bit of Hills I/d they provided. (Before he was just heaving and heaving down to the bile.) The doctor said she feels his chances of survival are good, since his temp is normal and the diarrhea isn't severe, bloody or particularly foul smelling. She even offered to IV him some more fluids again first thing in the a.m. again, so I'll be bringing him there bright and early before her scheduled appointments begin to arrive.

He was diagnosed and treated for hookworms during his virst vet visit, BTW. Thanks again for your concern. I was hestiant to keep posting because I thought maybe everyone was tiring of the "poor sick puppy" posts. This evening, he does look ever so slightly better. I used an aspirator to force a little water into his mouth. It wasn't much, but he kept it down. And just now he even "asked" to go outside and spent a little time wandering around the yard and lapping up a little water from our pond. I'd feel better if he could keep some food in him, though. I'll post another update tomorrow.

Well, we saw the vet again this morning, and she really seems to think he's going to be fine. He wasn't dehydrated when I brought him in. His nose was moist, and the injection she'd given him the day before definitely helped with the vomiting problem. She gave hin another one and sent me home with some high-calorie protein paste. I put little dollops of it in his mouth twice during the day. Then this evening I made a mixture of chicken broth, water and a little paste and squeezed it into his mouth with a baby aspirator. He doesn't heave and retch anymore, but he still occasionally sort of spits up stuff. It's a slimy, clear sort of spit up that's thick and hangs like a thread from his mouth. (Mucous?) No bile, though. She also sent me home with a syringe of the anti-puking meds in case the vomiting gets bad again. (Yikes!) I haven't given it. If he's throwing up tomorrow, my husband has agreed to do it, as I'm really squeamish when it comes to needles.

The puppy still won't eat or drink anything unless I drip it into his mouth, but the doctor isn't concerned about this. She says his little insides are all sore and irritated and that it's best to let them heal before taking anything solid anyway. He's still pretty listless, although he does walk around a bit like he has been. What amazes me is that he's pooped twice today, producing stools of a somewhat firm consistency. (If he isn't eating, then what the heck is he pooping?) He looks so darn pitiful and thin, but if the doctor he'll be okay, then I trust her judgment. I'm supposed to call her back on Monday with a progress report. If he's recovering well, I'll need to bring him in for a round of immunizations soon. We've got a ways to go, though.

Thank you for another report, and I am delighted to hear how much better he is.

Dogs never seem to run out of poop.

I don't know... he's not looking so hot. I was hoping he'd start to show more improvement by now. I'll tell you, at this point, I'll be amazed if this puppy lives. I kenneled him last night, and this morning when I woke up the poor little pup was lying in a pool of his own poo?/vomit? It looked like vomit but smelled more like poop. He keeps going out and hiding under things and in corners of the yard. It's annoying because I'm trying to monitor the poop/vomit situation, and it's hard when he wanders all over the place and hides in tight spots. Plus, I have two cats, so if I find poop it could be theirs. I guess it's a wait-and-see type situation.:(

I guess maybe he isn't doing as well as I thought. You can reduce the mess in the kennel.

A wire grid in the bottom of the crate will help keep the puppy up out of urine and to a lessor extent stools. They are available with the crates, but expensive and hard to find. A piece of closely spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. This reduces the mess, making the protest much less effective. The longer haired the puppy, the higher it needs to be. In warmer weather, you can just haul the crate out and hose everything off.

Otto died late this morning. His little body just couldn't take it anymore. We're all really bummed about it. Apparently, it is the policy of the animal shelter that I can go back and pick out another pet in the event of something like this. I'm not willing to risk it, though. If he had parvo or some other highly contagious disease, it's likely that the other pets there are infected, as well. I just can't stand the thought of going through this again with another puppy. Besides, we had our hearts set on a shepherd pup, and there were no others like that there. We've decided to acquire another through a reputable breeder. Meanwhile, I'm bleaching everything in sight. I'm even going to hose the yard with a bleach/water mixture to prevent the new pup from contracting this horrible illness.

Thanks again for your advice and concern.

Very sorry to hear that. Yes, bleach is the only answer to parvo. Otherwise the virus can linger 6 months waiting its next victim. And the standard shot schedules leave 25% of the dogs unprotected. Did I give you this link to info on parvo, http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/canine_parvo/parvo_brochure.asp

Yes, I got the link. Thank you.

I know you have had a very difficult time of it, and can't even think of going through it again. Before you buy a puppy, you might look at http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

Rescuesare dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home
To be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them. You may
Find a rescue near you starting at
At that link. The rescues charge a fee to help cover their expenses, but is much less than the price of a puppy plus all its medical expenses the first year.

I will not fault you if you decide to go with a puppy from a breeder. If you do, come back for help getting it off to a good start.

Have you tried herbal remedies? They're easy to find online. I have a catnip plant growing and I feed some of the leaves to my cats occasionally they love it. I found out that catnip can help stop vomiting and hairballs in cats as well so maybe there's something for your puppy. You can try this place if you'd like.

Vhttp://herbalmusings.com/natural_products_for_pets_old.htm

This might seem a little silly but it could be worth it!

Good luck I hope things turn out well. :)

[QUOTE=labman]I know you have had a very difficult time of it, and can't even think of going through it again. Before you buy a puppy, you might look at http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm
QUOTE]

We went that route. In fact, the way I found this dog was by attending an doggie rescue event called Bark in the Park. We visited booths manned by personnel from virtually every rescue organization in our area. One had a binder with photos of animals in need of homes. Otto's photo and info were in there. Problem is, since we have two rambunctious young children and two older cats, we feel it's best to get a puppy. That way, the dog will grow up with them and be more likely to tolerate them. I researched all sorts of breeds beforehand and determined that the German Shepherd Dog really is best suited for our family. It's hard to find a rescued animal that meets these strict criteria, so I was excited to find Otto. :(

Yea, it was a little late, but I didn't see all of the answers and updates. I know they are unproven, but if things get really serious I figured trying anything could be worth a try. Though labman you seem to have more experience :)

Parvo can live in the soil for 6-9 months after exposure. I would NOT recommend you getting another puppy UNLESS it was older and has had three series of vaccinations at the appropriate times.

I'm hosing my entire yard with the recommended bleach/water solution, and I'm also disinfecting EVERYTHING in my home that has been exposed to the dog as a precaution. Because Otto never had the trademark Parvo diarhhea, we're thinking it probably was some other variety of virus, perhaps even a canine influenza strain. I can't imagine waiting nine months before getting another puppy. It's all my kids talk about and the ony thing that's softening the blow of Otto's unfortunate demise. Do you really think it's such a risk even if I'm bleaching everything in sight? My understanding (with backing from the vet and dog-related Web sites) is that a bleach/water solution will kill the germs. I do have some concerns about certain furniture items, such as my burgundy couch. I don't want to bleach it. Do you have any other effective disinfectant recommendations for items not ideal for bleaching?

I just wanted to let everyone who was nice enough to offer advice that we've reserved a new pup from a litter of pure-bred German Shepherds. She's a female, and we've named her Minka, an old German name meaning "strong and resolved." The firstborn in the litter, she's nice and plump and absolutely adorable... like a little bear. Apparently, she's one fancy dog. too Her grandfather is a three-time national champ! The owners showed me the pedigrees for her parents to demonstrate that they weren't inbred. I met both the parents :D . The father is a big black and tan, and the mother is solid white... a beautiful female, larger than average. All the pups are black and tans.

I followed up with the animal shelter where I adopted Otto and inquired about whether they'd had a recent outbreak of Parvo or other illness. They told me know -- that they'd not had any dogs fall ill nor received reports from other adopters about sick or dead dogs. They actually were very nice, very apologetic, and offered me a full refund of the adoption fees. This information, and the fact that Otto never presented the trademark Parvo symptom of chronic diarrhea, pretty much rules out Parvo for me. I'm still taking the precaution of satitizing my home and yard with bleach, just to be on the safe side. Minka will be old enough to leave her mother after Thanksgiving. She'll have a thorough veterinary exam before we bring her home. We're so excited!!

Even a puppy that leaves the breeder healthy can easily pick up something once it is home or even on the way home. The dog guide school has advised us, that are out of town, not to use the dog exercise runs at rest stops. Too many times they gave out a litter of puppies over a weekend, and one that had a long trip to its new home came down with parvo or something right away.

Treating your lawn will protect your new puppy from what the last puppy had, but not from what some loose running dog wanders in with. I feel better about having part of my yard fenced. And since they have service dog tags, I have places I can take my puppies where there aren't poorly cared for dogs. I also have outings I must attend that have other well cared for puppies.

Still, it is very important to get you puppy out around strangers and other dogs before it is 12 weeks old. More so with a German Shepherd with genetic tendencies of distrust of strangers. Try to arrange play dates with other people you know take good care of their dogs. Many younger dogs enjoy a chance to play with other dogs, and are surprising gentle with puppies. For strange people, choose high traffic areas with people where the elopes running dogs are less likely to survive to spread disease.

I have a lead on what may have afflicted my puppy. Lady, a dog that hangs out two doors from my husband's business fell ill a couple of days ago. (Otto had visited the shop and played with the pup briefly twice.) This dog is a yellow lab just a few months older than ours was. Thankfully, she's okay and is beginning to recover already. I got this info secondhand, but reportedly her vet diagnosed her with coronavirus. I am anxious to find out if this was merely a guess based on her symptoms or the result of a fecal test.

Coronavirus isn't something that came up while I was trying to figure out what was wrong. I've just found some info on the Web about it. It seems that the symptoms are similar to parvo (primary symptom chronic diarrhea) but that the virus is far less serious and rarely ever fatal. (I read some conflicting reports about the symptom details, however.) I'm skeptical about whether this is what afflicted Otto because, again, diarrhea really wasn't the issue. Also, the few dogs that die apparently do so because they dehydrate, and Otto got IV fluids two days in a row and was fed water, yet he succumbed anyway.

Has anyone had experience with coronavirus? Whereas I'm able to find plenty of info on the parvo germs and disinfecting methods, I'm finding little on disinfecting for coronavirus. I'm still disinfecting as though it were parvo, but I'd feel much more at ease with a new puppy coming in a few weeks if I thought it were a less-severe ailment. Do you know how long coronavirus lives in the home/yard?

I don't have an answer on how long lived the virus is. I do want to say I appreciate your informative post. It is much better having an answer. The Corona virus is the C in DAPPLC combo vaccine puppies get several times. If you followed my link to the AVMA site, you saw shots are repeated hoping to hit window between when the mother's immunity wears off and the puppy is exposed.

For future knowledge Bleach will disenfect things in your house... It will not take care of Parvo in the yard! Period. It gets into the soil and that is why some recommend waiting on a puppy. Of course it is your choice. Just a recommendation. It would be horrible to lose another puppy.
Canine Coronavirus

Canine Coronavirus (CCV) is the second leading viral cause of diarrhea in puppies with canine Parvovirus being the leader. Unlike Parvovirus, Coronavirus infections are not generally associated with high death rates. Canine Coronavirus is not new to the canine population; it has been known to exist for decades. Most domestic dogs, especially adults, have measurable Coronavirus antibody titers indicating that they were exposed to canine Coronavirus at some time in their life. Its importance as an infectious disease and killer of dogs has probably been over estimated by vaccine manufacturers and some veterinary authorities.

Canine Coronavirus is a single stranded RNA type of virus with a fatty protective coating. Because the virus is covered in a fatty membrane it is relatively easily inactivated with detergent and solvent type disinfectants. It is spread by virus shedding in the feces of infected dogs.

What are the symptoms?
The primary symptom associated with canine Coronavirus is diarrhea. As with most infectious diseases, young puppies are more affected than adults. Unlike Parvovirus, vomiting is not common. The diarrhea tends to be less profuse than that associated with parvovirus infections. Although canine Coronavirus is generally thought of as a milder cause of diarrhea than Parvovirus, there is absolutely no way to differentiate the two without laboratory testing. Both Parvovirus and Coronavirus cause the same appearing diarrhea with an identical odor. The diarrhea associated with Coronavirus usually lasts several days with low mortality. To complicate the diagnosis many puppies with a severe intestinal upset (enteritis) are affected by both Coronavirus and Parvovirus simultaneously. Mortality rates in puppies simultaneously infected may approach 90 percent.

What are the risks?
As previously stated, canine Coronavirus has been widespread among the canine population for many years. Many dogs, especially adults, are either naturally immune and not susceptible or develop a very mild, oftentimes unnoticeable, case of the disease. Puppies less than twelve weeks of age are at the greatest risk and some especially weaker ones will die if exposed and infected. Most puppies, however, will recover after several days of mild to severe diarrhea.

Most puppies don't die of Corona, so maybe the puppy had something else wrong in addition to the virus. However, I ran a shelter for 5.5 yrs and just because a dog doesn't have diarrhea isn't a reason to not suspect Parvo. It just could have been atypical.

Please make sure your new puppy is current on vaccinations and you continue to get the appropriate vacs at the correct intervals.
PS. Has the parents been OFA cert.

Thanks, again, doggie_poopie. It's a pretty safe bet that corona is what ailed our pup. Like I said, a lab test confirmed it's what infected the dog that interacted with ours. (She's fully recovered, now, BTW.) Plus, an employee of the animal shelter where I adopted Otto confirmed that they've seen no Parvo cases there nor received reports of adopted dogs turning up parvo positive. Certainly had Otto contracted such as highly contagious and dangerous illness there would have been others infected there as well. (I personally saw them pull Otto out of tight quarters with three other pups.)

I've not inquired about OFA certification. I'll have to ask the owners about that.

Oh, okay. I have to admit, I didn't even know what OFA certification was until I Googled it just now. I do recall the owner telling me that neither the nor the sire, nor any puppies they've produced have ever been found to have hip dysplasia, elbow problems or any other heriditary complications. He was rattling off all kinds of data and even showed me the parents' pedigrees to demonstrate that they aren't related (i.e. inbred). The sire is a Heidelberg, and the grandfather dog a three-time national champ. That much I remember. The owners may have mentioned OFA certification, but since I'm not schooled on these issues, a lot of what they said went in one ear and out the other. I'm going to get the complete lowdown on the puppy before I bring her home. I'm sure this all makes me seem like an idiot to someone who works with these types of dogs every day.

I guess I've got a lot to learn. I was just glad to find a beautiful baby shepherd available. Remember, I was willing to settle for a shepherd mix with an unknown past from the pound before. Obviously, that didn't go so well, but I figure this one's got a lot more going for her... with a pricetag to match. :rolleyes:

Interesting feature of this site? Or was it moderation? I see my usage of the common term for a femal dog (in this case, what was meant as the literal meaning) was edited out.:D

I adopted a puppy from our local pound two days ago. He's about nine weeks old. At first, he was relatively playful, ate a bit (although not as much as I though he should), pooped once (solid) and seemed generally okay except for a hacking cough. I brought him to the vet yesterday, and he was found to have a temperature about a degree and a half above normal. The vet put him on antibiotics (Clavamox) and also gave me some tablets for cough and instructed me to administer one half tablet every eight hours. At about 3:45 a.m., the puppy's wimpering awakened me. I let him out of his kennel, and he went out and peed in the yard. Then, I put him back in his kennel. At about 7 a.m., I awoke to find a good bit of foul-smelling mucousy goo on his face, ears, etc. I cleaned him up, put him on his doggie bed and covered him with a soft towel. He has been lethargic all day, refusing to eat or play. I have been able to get him to willingly lap up water from time to time, and by the hardest I spoon fed him chicken broth mixed with a little puppy chow. I reported his condition to the vet today via phone and was told they'd done all they could really do to treat his illness ... I'll just have to wait and see. I'm so worried! I have little experience with dogs. (I've had cats.) I don't want to just sit and watch this sweet little thing die! Any advice on what to do or ideas on what could be afflicting him? My kids (and I!) will be crushed if this ends badly! Help!
My dog about 3 weeks ago was sleeping and not eatting and drinking took him to the vet he said he was healthy . 10 days later I noticed maverick was not right so I called another vet emergency at 2 am not drinking and sleeping seemed not with it. He started to vomit smelled terrible Test were ran that is when I found out my dog had parvo he was hospitalized for 3 days and then passed. Mav also had all his shots also. So please have your dog tested for parvo Immediately don't wait and I hope its nothing but do this for your piece of mind and the dogs life darlene

Um, that puppy died like four months ago. You'll see that if you read the whole thread. (LOL, although it's really not funny.) Thanks, though. I know you were just trying to help. We have a new dog now. She's a three-month-old German Shepherd... healthy as a horse and getting big fast! We love her!