Took puppy (3 mo) to vet about 1 week ago for something that bit him.. got all better then all of a sudden he just lies around hasn't eatten for about 2 days barely drinks water... has dry heaves and seems to be losing weight... have offered wet food.. because what dog won't turn that down... didnt work... any help will greatly be appreciated... im scared he's not going to make it until I can get him to vet on mon morn

Unless he is already excessively thin, I don't think waiting until Monday will hurt. In fact the canned food was a mistake. Tempting a dog with rich food is nearly always the wrong thing to do. Besides, a sudden change in diet often causes digestive upsets which won't help the problem. Read through the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post254171 Puppies are often too fat. To judge his weight, go to http://www.puppychow.com/products/po...condition.aspx You should ask the vet to confirm your judgment.

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Originally Posted by labman

Unless he is already excessively thin, I don't think waiting until Monday will hurt. In fact the canned food was a mistake. Tempting a dog with rich food is nearly always the wrong thing to do. Besides, a sudden change in diet often causes digestive upsets which won't help the problem. Read through the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post254171 Puppies are often too fat. To judge his weight, go to http://www.puppychow.com/products/po...condition.aspx You should ask the the vet to confirm your judgment.

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he wouldn't eat the wet food and when we took him to vet last week he weighed 18lbs but now u can see his rib caged... do u think it might be parvo or something?? We've only had him for a short time but I've grown so attached to him... and don't want him to leave us

Pooh, see if your dog will drink a little chicken broth or beef broth. You need to keep him hydrated.

Did you call the vet to see if anyone is covering emergency calls? If not, please do so and explain what is happening. If your vet cannot see him until first thing tomorrow morning, and you are uncomfortable waiting, check around and see if there is an Animal Hospital in your area. If there isn't one, and you still feel you cannot wait until tomorrow morning, call all the vets in the area. See if anyone will be willing to take you in today on an emergency call. If you can't get anywhere, you need to make it clear that you expect to be able to bring in your puppy when the vet opens his office first thing in the morning.

Parvo usually has diarrhea, but there are other serious things. Seeking emergency care today is a judgment call. If anything does happen to him and you didn't, you will feel terrible. A chubby puppy with reserves of fat can go longer.

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Originally Posted by poohgirl_cia

took puppy (3 mo) to vet about 1 wk ago for something that bit him..got all better then all of a sudden he just lies around hasnt eatten for about 2 days barely drinks water...has dry heaves and seems to be losing weight.....have offered wet food ..cuz what dog wont turn that down....didnt work.....any help will greatly be appreciated.....im scared hes not gonna make it til i can get him to vet on mon morn

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Update... he has parvo

Poohgirl, I am so sorry. Did the vet think it was caught in time to help him through it?

Update

He's got a 50/50 chance with the meds... so I'm doing a lot of praying... in the process of writing this I managed to see him take his last few breaths... he didn't make it

That is terrible. I feel so bad about not urging you to take him in for emergency treatment in my first post. It just didn't sound like parvo.

Oh pooh girl. I am so, so sorry.

It really takes a trained eye to recognize the symptoms early enough and then, it really is one of those 50/50 things. I know you feel upset and depressed, but please remember that this does occur and a lot of pups don't make it. It has nothing to do with you, or whether you did a good job taking care of him. You must believe this.

I hope this doesn't put you off adopting a dog in the future. Parvo doesn't discriminate between pups bought from breeders or pups adopted from a shelter. It is just a very unfortunate and devastating fact of life that all puppies are susceptible to. If you feel like talking, please post back.

THANK YOU BOTH... Labman even if I did take him in over the weekend he was a small pup and if he was bigger he would have had a better chance... at least "Trucker" new I was there for him when he took his last breaths... We still plan on eventually getting another dog but not until we get the yard cleaned and his first stop will be the vets for parvo shot.. it didn't make difference for "Trucker" for all we know he may have had it before he got his first shot... but again thank you both

You are welcome Pooh. I am glad you recognize that. At least you were able to give him the love and attention he deserved, even for the time he had. Yes, you do need to ensure all the areas in your home and yard are free from the virus. Labman recommends bleach to clean everything. Outside, it is not so easy. He has a link regarding parvo that I do not recall. I am sure he will post it when he stops by. He recommends that you wait at least 6 months before bringing another puppy into your home. It ensures that any possible traces of the virus are completely gone. You don't have to be that vigilant if you adopt an adult dog.

This is a link to the AVMA site, Canine Parvovirus, What you should know about
Unlike some other sites, I think you can count on what you read there.

I hate parvo. I have seen too many questions like yours. I hate to tell everyone with a sick puppy to go to the expense of emergency care, but the smaller the puppy, the more important prompt care is.

I must say how pleased I am to find a series of good answers that I need to add little. Thanks Ruby.

Yesterday I had to spend time I didn't have on other answers.