Ask Me Help Desk - My puppy has Parvo

I just came back from the Vet and my puppy was also diagnosed with Parvo. He is 6 months old and had the antibiotics, Nause shots while at the Vet. I am optimistic that he is going to be all-right since it just ate today for the first time and has not vomit, we are counting the time and see for how long will hold the food and this was about 45 minutes ago now.
The symptoms started yesterday and so far there is no blood on the diareah nor the vomit and is not too frequent either, maybe 3 times a day vomit and two diareah.
I'll like to hope that we noticed it in the first stages and can do something to save him, started the IV's every two hours and the Vet said not to force feed yet. So him eating by himself was a great news.
I know that we are still not in the clear, but hope for the best and will still administer the IV every two hours.
My question to you is regarding the antibiotic and medicine for the nausea. I was not given any to take home, but was administer at the hospital and they said it was good for two weeks. Any comments on this?

I would need to know what the antibiotic was before commenting. Antibiotics have no effect on a virus, but are given to cover any bacterial problem that may arise, which is what may happen with parvo. You may have a moderate to mild case, with no more vomiting or diarrhea than you have. Be sure that he is urinating relatively normally while he is on the fluids, and if he doesn't start with more vomiting and diarrhea by Monday, call the vet and ask how long you should continue the fluids.

If he starts to drink on his own, I would suggest you decrease the frequency of giving the fluids to every 4 hours , and also call the vet with this information. I don't want you to overhydrate him if he isn't losing fluids through vomiting and diarrhea, and you need to keep updating your vet with his condition so that he knows what is happening. Ask him if you should make any changes before doing so, because it really upsets vets when their client does something differently at the suggestion of 'some jerk on the Internet' (the vet's thoughts). Would appreciate if you could let us know how he is doing as well. Also, did he have any puppy shots, and if so, at what age and how many.

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'some jerk on the Internet'

There are many sites and many posters that do give bad advice, and it is always best to talk to your vet with concerns about your pets health.

Sadly some people won't or can't go to the vet, and the internet is their only option.

I can vouch for all the pet experts on this site. When we give medical advice it's because we know what we're talking about. We don't guess at diagnosis, and we don't guess at treatments. If we're unsure we will tell you to go to your vet, and as previously mentioned, that's always your best choice.

I take offense to the comment "their client does something differently at the suggestion of 'some jerk on the Internet' (the vets thoughts)". The internet can be a good source of info, just be wary of who you trust. If I didn't trust the experts that post here, I wouldn't be here.

I say.. follow the directions of the vet. If they want antibiotics in his system, then do so. If you have any questions or conerns, CALL HIM BACK.. It is what you are paying him for..

With parvo, there is no treatment for the virus itself, the symptoms are treated. The antibiotic or the dosage may change throughout his recovery.

My apologies for having offended you, but it was ME to whom I figured that vet's comment would be directed , possibly only to himself. I haven't seen anyone on site here make any suggestions to counter any doctor's advice. But it really would upset either a Vet or an MD to find it out.

What do you think the vets who hear that their client is following the directions they got from the internet think? I know, because I've been there. But I have also been on this side before and realized even before being here that this sort of information site does a service that many vets don't fully realize. I know many vets who would say that very phrase in the past, but maybe not so many now. And NONE of them want to be overruled by any well intentioned stranger, regardless of where they may have come from, even if it may be sound advice.
Again, my apologies for offending. Pax?

What do you think the vets who hear that their client is following the directions they got from the internet think?

My GP and I discussed this very subject in early April, but about human patients, not pets.

With all the information available now on the Internet, it's very easy 9or at least tempting) for people to diagnose themselves (or their pets). Reading reputable medical sites is good in that it gives the patient food for asking doctors important questions, and also finding the answers to questions the doctor forgot to bring up or didn't have time during an office visit to answer and explain.

And what did your GP say about his/her opinion of the information put out by all the internet sites, not just the reputable ones?
There are several reputable Human medical sites, possibly more, but the Veterinary side suffers by comparison. There are a few, most of which are products of veterinary associations or hospitals who, by the way, advertise their existence very little. Problem... just how do you evaluate whether a different site is reputable?
One such unnamed site simply says 'Ask your question, get several answers and choose the one that seems right.' People participating in these medically oriented sites want, primarily, to know if their problem (human or animal) is serious enough to seek a doctor's help, and if not, what can they do about it. That seems easy enough, but still entails making some sort of diagnosis before answering. How many wrong answers wind up in the vet's office? And what is the vet's response?

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What do you think the vets who hear that their client is following the directions they got from the internet think? I know, because I've been there. But I have also been on this side before and realized even before being here that this sort of information site does a service that many vets don't fully realize. I know many vets who would say that very phrase in

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the past, but maybe not so many now. And NONE of them want to be overruled by any well intentioned stranger, regardless of where they may have come from, even if it may be sound advice.
Again, my apologies for offending. Pax?

Pax. I too apologize, I just saw that statement and saw red. It's very frustrating to see people coming here for medical advice, animal or human. I do agree that vet is always the best bet for your pet. Sadly, many people either can't afford a vet, or refuse to go to one. Sometimes the internet is their only hope of solving the problem.

We can't diagnose here. Even if all of us were qualified to do so, we couldn't. The only thing we can do is state that the vet is the best, and should be the only option. If the OP says that's not an option, we do have to try to do something, I for one can't walk away knowing the animal is getting no medical help at all. There's no guarantee that it will work, but it's better then nothing, which many of these animals have.

The OP in this case has taken her dog to the vet. The advice to follow the vets recommendations is dead on. I agree wholeheartedly. :)

I apologize if I came off argumentative, or angry. I just want people to realize the service we do provide here. We do our very best, always with the animals well being in mind. We don't give advice lightly, we think over all possibilities. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I had a thread many years ago where a lady came on, asking for help with her newborn puppies. She had found the mother dog on the street. A few days later the dog gave birth. The OP had no way of knowing she was pregnant. The puppies were born, but one was failing to thrive. She had called the vet, but they wouldn't answer her over the phone. She was in a desperate situation, the puppy wasn't breathing, she was frantic, we had minutes, if not seconds to offer support.

I was the only one on line that knew anything about dogs, and sadly I know nothing about breeding or newborn puppies. I did a quick search on the internet, found a breeder that I trusted instantly, and made my suggestion. Dipping the puppy in cold, then warm water. It was a bit more complicated then that, but you get the idea. ;)

Well, the OP did what I suggested and the puppy lived.

Had it not been for the internet, that puppy would not have survived. That was a glorious day for me. To save the life of a dog when it had one foot in the grave.

You should always be wary about what you find on the internet. The fact is, on this site the experts really have proven themselves. If we don't know the answer we'll tell you so. If you're desperate we'll do our very best, but realize, no one, not even a vet, can diagnose an animal over the internet.

Okay, my quote feature is acting up. I tried three times to make it right, and it won't co-operate. The above is the best I could do. Darn puter. ;)

First of all, I would like to know if the diagnosis of Parvo was based upon symptoms or blood tests. If it was just made based upon symptoms then you definitely need to speak with the vet again to update them on the progress of the dog, question if they still think the original diagnosis is correct and find out what they would like you to do with the dog from there.

If the diagnosis was based upon blood test results then you should follow the vet's orders 100%. As your dog is a bit older and seems not to be getting worse, the prognosis is probably pretty good. The antibiotic was probably a precaution and the anti-nausea probably the same. If your dog continues to vomit then you should see the vet again anyhow.

Frankly, if the dog continues to be ill and there were no blood tests that support the diagnosis I would seek a second opinion. I base my response upon many years of working as a Vet Assistant as well as having a puppy with Parvo. You want to ensure that you are treating the dog for the correct cause of the illness. There are just so very many causes of diaherria and vomiting and without the appropriate diagnostics other causes can be missed... sometimes making the dog even more ill (for instance, if the dog food was bad).

Good luck to you and the dog and please let us know how things go.

Hugs, Didi

Thanks Altie. As far as the puppy's age, I knew that. I meant to say "As your puppy is older" and typed dog in error. To me, the puppy is an older puppy. :) The reason I said that is if the puppy was 6 to 12 weeks old and had parvo the prognosis would be significantly worse.

Hugs, Didi

Coronavirus occasionally will accompany Parvo infections, for a really nice combo. Or, Corona alone will happen. It can look quite a lot like parvo, without a test.

My puppy is 5mths old and I took her to the vet because her brother was around her and he had parvo, she was diagnoised with it also. She started acting really lazy wasn't and wasn't eating took her in and she tested positive for parvo, they sent me home with I've ntibiotic and antnausea meds.. I'm on my 3rd day and I feel like she is just getting worse, I have called numerouse amount of vets to get different opinions and they all say you have to just hope for the best and do whatever you can.. so I did turn to the internet I have read over 1000s of parvo stories and more then 80% went to the vet and then turned to a herbal remedy called parvaid which helped so many of these puppies get better.. its all natural and can't hurt him or her in nyway , some vets even carry it.. good luck on your puppy I know what you are going through its hard lack of sleep but they are like our children and we will do whatever it takes to make the better.

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Originally Posted by elijahsmommie

my puppy is 5mths old and i took her to the vet bc her brother was around her and he had parvo, she was diagnoised with it also. she started acting really lazy wasnt and wasnt eating took her in and she tested positive for parvo, they sent me home with Iv ntibiotic and antnausea meds.. im on my 3rd day and i feel like she is just getting worse, i have called numerouse amount of vets to get different opinions and they all say u have to just hope for the best and do whatever u can.. so i did turn to the internet i have read over 1000s of parvo stories and more then 80% went to the vet and then turned to a herbal remedy called parvaid which helped so many of these puppies get better.. its all natural and can't hurt him or her in nyway , some vets even carry it.. good luck on your puppy i know what u are going through its hard lack of sleep but they are like our children and we will do whatever it takes to make the better.

It seems strange to me that you would recommend a medicine that you are unsure of. Just minutes after posting this you asked us for advice on parvaid: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/h...ml#post2833575

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Originally Posted by Cat1864

It seems strange to me that you would recommend a medicine that you are unsure of. Just minutes after posting this you asked us for advice on parvaid: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/h...ml#post2833575

I'm just guessing, but she did say

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I'm on my 3rd day and I feel like she is just getting worse

So I think she meant she "found" (not "turned to") frequent mentions of a miracle med called parvaid on the Internet.

Well, just to give an update on my puppy's health. It has been 2 and a half week since he was diagnosed and he is now active and playing again. He still has an upset stomach and his stools are not completely solid, but are getting there. We are still feeding him a diet of pedigree and rice mixed together and sometimes mix it with solid food to make his stomach strong again.
We tried everything the Vet told us and more when he was with the Parvo, on the 4th day we thought he was not going to make it, but pull through and started getting stronger, and we started force feeding him on the 5th day.
We gave him Peptobismol and some other human medicine for his nauseas, thought that this might help. The medicine was over the counter. These two were also forced into him.
Good luck everyone, and I believe the most important thing I learned was to make sure you keep him/her hydrated. Between my wife and I, we dedicated 18 hours ot of the day to nurse our puppy back to health.

And one last thing we did for him, was pray. I think this also helped a lot.

Thank you all.

Thank you for the update! We love photos too!