I Just Lost My Puppy to Parvo.Will My Adult Dog Get Sick?
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!