[theroserr]

He's an 8 week old pitbull. He became very sick today, his nose is running and he's not eating. He's weak and not playing like he usually does. I'm sad to say I can't afford to take him in to see the vet right now. Does anyone know of anything I can do for him or give him? It would be very much appreciated.

[Alty]

There's really not much we can do. But we can give you a few suggestions. The best bet is always your vet. At 8 weeks a simple illness can be deadly. Have you called your vet to see if he/she would accept a payment plan? Many vets will because they know that their services aren't always affordable up front.

Is he drinking? Is his poo runny?

[SweetDee]

A vet visit costs anywhere between $45.00-$75.00 a visit. Perhaps you can borrow some money from your family or close friends... and pay them back even if it's $5.00 a week.

You took a puppy and this dog is a life... Life sometimes gets ill... as you or anyone else would. If you were sick wouldn't you go seek medical attention?

Perhaps you can speak with a vet and tell them of your financial restrictions and they can put you on a "payment plan"? Some vets will do that but you really need to discus your situation and develop a trust. Another idea is to give them your credit card number and give them authorization to bill you $10.00 per month till your bill is paid..

Somehow you have to figure out how to afford to keep raising a dog... cus they are not free.

I wish you luck <3

[Just_Another_Lemming]

He's an 8 week old pitbull. He became very sick today, his nose is running and he's not eating. He's weak and not playing like he usually does. I'm sad to say I can't afford to take him in to see the vet right now. Does anyone know of anything I can do for him or give him? It would be very much appreciated.

Since you say you can't afford a vet, were you even planning on bringing the puppy in for his shots? If not, you have placed your pups life in jeopardy. Puppies are extremely vulnerable to Parvo virus. It kills entire litters! The symptoms you are describing can be anything as Altenweig states, but you need to be aware they are the first symptoms of Parvo. PLEASE, if you care about this puppy you need to scrape the money together and get him medical attention IMMEDIATELY. That means... today. Please, do not wait. With Christmas Eve on Friday, if he has parvo virus, I cannot stress enough that you need a vet's attention right now.

[Aurora_Bell]

Still have to spread the rep JAL, but I think this sounds like Parvo too. I know this sounds harsh, and I know we are all strapped for cash this time of year, but f you can't provide proper medical care for a new puppy, you may have to think about re-homing him to someone who can. Parvo is the leading puppy killer, and it seems to be running rampant these days. It's so easy to avoid by getting the vaccines.

In the mean time, TEMPERATURE - always monitor a parvo puppy's temperature. Holistic norm is 100.5 to 101.5, anything other than this is either a low or high grade fever. We use those nice digital thermometers.

High grade fever tells us a pup could dehydrate more quickly, as they are overheating, so they may need extra fluids. A fever can also tell us there is a secondary infection going on for which he may need anti-biotic treatment. Get him to drink as much water as you can, if he will not drink on his own, then get an eye dropper and force the water in. Don't worry about force feeding the food, if your dog does in fact have a fever, then do not offer any foods until the fever has been gone for 24 hours. Well hydrated puppies have dark pink gums, well, in those breeds that have pink gums to begin with. Very light pink, white, or grayish gums means one of two things - either the puppy has excessive worms or they are dehydrated. You can also pinch their skin to test hydration. Pinch the skin on your forearm and it immediately goes back into place meaning YOU are NOT dehydrated. Pinch the puppies skin, if it goes back into place immediately, this indicates they are hydrated. If their skin sticks and takes a second or two to go back into place, they are dehydrated.

A low grade fever tells us the puppy is chilled. When we are "chilled", we put on a sweater, jacket, or cover up with a warm blanket. The same courtesy should be extended to our puppy family members who have low grade fevers. No need to sit them on the furnace, but a light blanket helps them to keep their body heat in check, which can help them feel better and conserve their much needed energy for healing, instead of heating. A low grade fever also tells us that any fluids we give the puppy should be warmed to body temperature, as giving cold fluids would bring down the puppy's body temperature further.

Watch for diarrhea. Parvo puppies generally have a dark bloody diarrhea, though I have seen some with a bright red bloody diarrhea and there is the F-Strain where there is no blood, but a mucousy diarrhea, often a yellowish tan color.

You really should try and get your pup to the vet for best results. Like Alty mentioned at 8 weeks, things can take a tunr for the worse in a matter of minutes. Please think about making payment arrangements or even ask someone to borrow the money.

[theroserr]

Thank you everyone for the comments. I asked my brother to pay for the visit and he agreed, we got the puppy some medicine and he got two shots. I'm hoping he will get better.

[Alty]

Thank you everyone for the comments. I asked my brother to pay for the visit and he agreed, we got the puppy some medicine and he got two shots. I'm hoping he will get better.

What did the vet say? What shots was your puppy given? How is he feeling today? Is he eating?

[Aurora_Bell]

Yes, what did the vet say? What does he have?

[theroserr]

I'm not sure what he has, I wasn't able to go with him and my brother conveniently forgot what they told him. But he did mention that the vet said he got the illness in the dog pound and that he would most likely not survive. He seems better than yesterday though, he's drinking and he's getting up and walking which he wasn't doing yesterday.

[Alty]

The vet said he wouldn't survive?

Was it parvo?

Why didn't you go with your brother? Call the vet, ask what the diagnosis was. What you can do. Why would the puppy get shots and medication if the vet said that his disease is fatal?

This isn't making any sense. This is your dog! I'd be on the phone with the vet right now asking questions.

[SweetDee]

I agree with Altenweg... it doesn't make any sense.

Hmmm, maybe she meant that the disease WOULD BE fatal had she not gotten the dog to the vet and taken care of the issue..

Just pick up the phone call your brother ask for the vet's phone number and give the vet a call. Simple... this way there are no guessing games and you will be sure what you are dealing with because you will have the information. :)

Either way tho'... I'm just so happy that this ended well... :) xo

[Aurora_Bell]

I agree, it just doesn't make sense! How could your brother forget? You need to call the vet and ask what is going on and what you can do to make him comfortable.

[shazamataz]

Yes, if we knew what the problem was we could offer some advice on how to keep puppy comfortable and depending on what it is give him a better chance at surviving.

A phone call to the vet is free, you don't have to pay for another consult to ask what the results were.

If it was parvo like people suspect then getting as much fluid into the pup as possible will make a big difference, there are many ways to do this from using pedialyte to being put on a drip at the vets (which if he is very sick I'm surprised the vet wouldn't have already done this).

[billp57]

I hope your dog is doing better. We inherited a black pit bull mix form a couple that couldn't afford her any more. She insurd me she had all her shots. Well she lied the dog got parvo and it is one of the awefulist things you could go through. They won't eat and they get this projectile diarrhea that is all blood and the smell is something you'll never ever forget! In 3 days the dog lost 25 pounds The dog had three treatments of atibiotics fluids and other stuff at $200 a pop and at no time could the vet insure us she would live and said most dogs die from it. Well she survived and is the most wonderful dog we could ever have. I wish you luck with your dog.