Ask Me Help Desk - I have a red Doberman puppy with parvo

I have a puppy with parvo. She is a red Doberman Pinscher named Ruby. She first got the virus when she was 8 weeks old. She was in the hospital for 3 days. I got to take her home just this past Wednesday. She did great! She was eating normal, pooping normal, and had a high energy level. She was running and playing with my 16 week old rottweiler (who has never had any health problems). Then out of nowhere, late Friday night, she started vomiting numerous times. She couldn't even hold down water. I took her back to the hospital on Saturday morning (she's now 9 weeks old) and they at first thought it was an intussusception. They gave her barium and turns out that's not what it was. Then they said they really didn't know what it was and that it may be a bacterial infection. So they decided to treat her as a relapse of parvo. Does this sound right? She did so well for 3 days as if nothing ever happened. Could it be something else? If it is a relapse, what are her odds? The doctors don't seem too worried but they have many animals to look after. If she gets through this, will I end up back at the hospital with another relapse? Lastly what measures can I take to ensure she stays healthy when we get home while her immune system builds up? Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!
-Katie

I believe it is parvo.It is very hard to cure dogs from parvo,and 1week is usually not long enough to rid the puppy of the virus.You need to bleach everything in your house,and remove all fecal matter from your yard.This virus can live a long time on surfaces,and she will get sick every time she comes in contact with a contaminated area.I hope she gets well soon.

I just want to say I am sorry for what you are going through. I also had a silver colored Doberman Pinscher who died of Parvo. He caught it in the vet's office when I took him in to get his ears clipped. We brought him home after getting his ears clipped, discovered the problem within the same day of bringing him home, took him back to the vet, and he died there.

From what you have described, it does sound like Parvo. :(

For a good background on parvo, see Canine Parvovirus, What you should know about

If your puppy survives parvo, it should be immune, and I doubt you need to go through the bleaching except to protect other dogs. If you have kept your other dog up to date on its shots, it should be safe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by labman

For a good background on parvo, see Canine Parvovirus, What you should know about

If your puppy survives parvo, it should be immune, and I doubt you need to go through the bleaching except to protect other dogs. If you have kept your other dog up to date on its shots, it should be safe.

Thank you labman, I've noticed you know your stuff:) That's exactly what I thought about the bleaching, as that's what the vets told me. That's why I was so confused to have her back in the hospital. The vets said that she may have gone home just a little too early and wasn't fully over it. So I'm keeping my prayers alive that she pulls through this second time around and can come home with no worries and without contracting a secondary infection due to her weak immune system. As for my 4 month old rottie, he is up to date with vaccines and has yet to show any signs of getting the dreaded virus. So I think I'll be in the clear with him. The vet recommended to give him another booster at 20 weeks just to be extra safe even though it's the standard to be done with puppy shots at 16 weeks. Again I appreciate your input.

It is possible for dogs to act as carriers for CPV, even though they don't show any symptoms themselves.

Also, Rottweilers are one of the breeds that are especially prone to this virus. For some reason, black and tan coated breeds do seem more susceptible than others.

My wife and I have put together a book about Parvo that you may find helpful. You can download it for free at Download Your FREE Parvo Treatment 101 Book

I hope all goes well for Ruby.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ParvoBuster

It is possible for dogs to act as carriers for CPV, even though they don't show any symptoms themselves.

Also, Rottweilers are one of the breeds that are especially prone to this virus. For some reason, black and tan coated breeds do seem more susceptible than others.

My wife and I have put together a book about Parvo that you may find helpful. You can download it for free at Download Your FREE Parvo Treatment 101 Book

I hope all goes well for Ruby.

If Abram (my rottie) is a carrier of CPV, will he eventually get sick? Is his health at risk because of it, or is it like feline lukemia where the carrier can live a long healthy life? And if he is a carrier, when Ruby (my dobe) gets well, will she still be at risk of getting sick from him?

I am sorry nobody answered your last post in over a week. What I said in my original post about your other dog being safe if up to date on shots isn't right for a 16 year old. If you read the AVMA's material on parvo, you can see there could still be a window where the older puppy could catch parvo. My vet justifies the extra shots he wants to give saying the standard schedule only protects 75% of the dogs. One factor is that the bigger a dog is, the better its chances of surviving parvo. It is lethal to young puppies because they have so little reserves to live on while fighting the virus. An older dog will do better than a young puppy even in breeds more susceptible to parvo.

I would watch Abram very carefully a little longer. If immunity from his mother is still protecting him, it could wear off leaving him unprotected. You may want to ask the vet about an additional shot or checking titer. There is a method of checking for immunity although little used. Bleach does a fine job on hard surfaces, but is much less effective outside. The accepted period is 6 months for the parvo virus to be around outside, but there are reports of 10 years or more. Keep in touch with your vet. Even it your puppy is immune to parvo after surviving it, there are all the other things that DHLPP shots cover plus rabies and kennel cough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by labman

I am sorry nobody answered your last post in over a week. What I said in my original post about your other dog being safe if up to date on shots isn't right for a 16 year old. If you read the AVMA's material on parvo, you can see there could still be a window where the older puppy could catch parvo. My vet justifies the extra shots he wants to give saying the standard schedule only protects 75% of the dogs. One factor is that the bigger a dog is, the better its chances of surviving parvo. It is lethal to young puppies because they have so little reserves to live on while fighting the virus. An older dog will do better than a young puppy even in breeds more susceptible to parvo.

I would watch Abram very carefully a little longer. If immunity from his mother is still protecting him, it could wear off leaving him unprotected. You may want to ask the vet about an additional shot or checking titer. There is a method of checking for immunity although little used. Bleach does a fine job on hard surfaces, but is much less effective outside. The accepted period is 6 months for the parvo virus to be around outside, but there are reports of 10 years or more. Keep in touch with your vet. Even it your puppy is immune to parvo after surviving it, there are all the other things that DHLPP shots cover plus rabies and kennel cough.

Thank you labman for your response. Sadly, Ruby didn't make it. She passed away on the 2nd of this month after a total of 10 days in the hospital. I wish the vet wouldn't have given her such a good prognosis because it breaks my heart to know she suffered that long for nothing. Abram on the other hand, couldn't be better. He's 19 weeks old now and healthy as a moose. We went to the doctor just this past Tuesday for some skin sores on his butt. Turns out he sat in an anthill and had an allergic reaction. I had another parvo test done (because I'm such a paranoid freak now) and he's still in the clear. I'm still going to give him a booster in a week when he turns 5 months old. I will also ask then about checking immunity. I want to thank everyone for their advice and input. It is greatly appreciated. It will be a while before I get another puppy for a few reasons. But when I do, it will be an older pup. Mostly to match Abrams age but also to avoid a situation like Ruby's as much as possible. Thanks again everyone!

There is a thread in a forum exclusive to those with 200 or more posts about negative experiences. It doesn't quite fit that thread, but it is very difficult reading posts like yours. Many times, even when everybody here says go to the vet immediately, the puppy still dies. We all hurt for the OP and the puppy.

We appreciate even such sad updates.