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View Full Version : Parvo questions and answers?


tmutina
Dec 1, 2011, 02:24 PM
My puppy has been under a vets care w/ parvo since Monday afternoon. She is just now getting to where she has no diarreha but is still vomitting a few times a day. Seems to be "perkier" (per the technician) and her fever is gone... any idea how long this should go on for her? I feel so bad for her!

paleophlatus
Dec 1, 2011, 11:10 PM
Parvo is a nasty disease. Treatment is supportive for the animal until it can repair sufficient damage, done by the virus, that it begins to feel better and stop the vomiting and diarrhea. The virus knocks the villae off the epithelial cells lining the intestine. These little projections increase the surface absorptive area of the intestine. Losing them is like scraping one's knee or elbow... only on the intestine. This also allows many toxins in the intestine to be absorbed into the blood and the septicemia that occurs is often the deciding event in the battle for the animal's life. Sounds like your pup is over the hump and recovery is well underway.

I would guess a few more days. But, don't feel as bad for her as before, because she apparently feels much better and is being well cared for. Rest is important... she has lots to recover from and being home is NOT the place to get rest after being gone for a week. She is being fed special diets in small amounts until her gut recovers and she begins to pass a more normal stool. Gut epithelia heals rapidly, and it takes about 5 days to replace those lost. Time should be up soon. That's about as good as I can guess.