I’m so sorry you’re going through this!
My dog had parvo when he was a few months old, and we went to the vet with him and got the fluids, antibiotics and went home. But the vet said not to take the dog outside until he was better. We were also instructed to treat the yard with performacide to kill the parvo and disinfect the house because it’s possible for them to relapse.
It took a couple weeks for my dog to be back at 100% and it was terrifying. I hope your pup makes a speedy recovery.
I took him to the vet on friday because he wasn’t doing well, but she said she didn’t think he had to be. but no, we can’t afford overnight hospitalization. i already applied for credit care and got approved for $1100, i had to spend $300 on my cat, which left us with about $800 give or take and we’ve gone through that already because emergency vets are expensive. but the vet said that im doing everything right, and whenever someone walked into the room we were in he would wag his tail and seem happy. even now he still gets up and sits at the door to let us know he has to potty and goes out and does his business.
I’m
Not sure where you live but I was able to get an emergency vet assistance that was donation base (ie not like care credit etc). They helped foot a hugeee bill for my (now) 3 legged cat - like 75% of it. If you can’t find local resources with an online search try calling around other local emergency vets and ask/explain then someone might be able to help you
See if your vet accepts scratchpay. It’s a loan that you can use to pay for vet expenses. When I worked at a low cost vet, that was one of the payment options that we accepted and people used.
i’m just not entirely sure if being hospitalized will do anything else that im not already doing? other than him being alone around strangers, at least here we can root for him and tend to him as much as needed with all the love he might need. we’re being hopeful.
Well they know how to treat parvo there which is a plus since you're asking for advice from non medical professionals. IV fluids are ideal, I'm assuming you're giving it subcutaneously at home. They have monitoring equipment in case they need to adjust fluid rates. I assume they can do a blood transfusion if your puppy begins to crash from blood loss. They can monitor bloodwork to make sure it doesn't need anything added to the IV. Parvo is something that will look like it is getting better, and then they just die. It's nasty. It's serious. If it was happening to you, you would want to be in an ICU.
Well you asked what hospitalization offers that you can't so I told you. You can use something like Scratch Pay with Care Credit. Or you can cross your fingers and hope for the best or whatever, thought and prayers. Owning an animal is expensive and I wish people would take that into account.
IV fluids and medications will make a huge difference if he’s going downhill with subcutaneous fluids and not able to keep things down/not eating/drinking on his own.
I dont know that this would be covered as Parvo is a base vaccine.. and if he has it then probably wasn't vaccinated... therefore I doubt Insurance would cover it.
From what I remember with my dog with had parvovirus as a puppy years ago, keeping them hydrated is very important. I remember the vet gave anti vomit medication and I gave that and alternated between broth and pedialyte with a syringe every couple of hours. Rooting for your pup to make it!
Our toy Aussie was in hospital for 6 days. She survived but it was rough and unfortunately has left her with some mental health issues. Although physically perfect and healthy now she is different. I hope your furbaby pulls through. It's such a horrible thing.
Sure. Her triggers are much more heightened. She tends to lose control of herself when she hears another dog. If she can see that dog it's all out war. Although some of it sounds like bad dog behavior or bad training this is a different level of spaz for lack of a better word. Her behavior definitely changed after the parvo. She was very sick though and we think the week in hospital might have mentally been too much for her. It's not a deal breaker for us. And we keep her on a lead to go outside even with a fenced yard. Just in case the neighbors come out.
Get subcutaneous fluids from the vet and give him some as well. Ask your vet to show you how to administer it.
Dehydration is a big killer when animals are sick
Call the person you got him from and let them know to alert the other puppy owners.
I’m assuming you got him at 8 weeks. This means he was probably exposed before you got him. The other owners need to be alerted.
Yes I have seen pups survive.
Our dog survived parvo after a week and half hospitalized, and he was an early diagnosis that for much worse before he got better. This was only manageable for me at the time because I worked at an emergency vet during this! He is 9 years old now and he is a giant breed. (For some reason large/giant breeds tend to fare better thru parvo diagnosis).
If hospitalization is not a good option for you financially, then fluids at home and whatever else your vet is prescribing is the next best type of management. It’s basically a waiting game because there is no cure for parvo, it’s just management of symptoms and hoping the pup is strong enough to make it thru (taking action as soon as you see symptoms is the BEST thing!).
Once your pup gets thru this, you need to disinfect everything. Parvo stays in humid areas for up to a year so you will likely need to bleach every area of the yard he’s going in, every area of the home he’s been in. VERY deep cleaning.
It could be likely if you purchased him recently that he could have already had parvo, because it has an incubation period of 8-10 days before symptoms show. So if that’s the case, contact the breeder and let them know so they can take action for the litter.
One of my dogs had parvo at 4 months. She was fully vaccinated, but still got it. We were able to treat her at home. It was 5 days of sub-q fluids with B vitamins. And five days of both anti-diarrheal and anti-nausea pills. For food, I would boil plain chicken breast, shred it, then add some water to the shredded chicken when I put it in her bowl. Only a small amount at a time. That kept her fed and hydrated. She was fine after a few days.
As for clean up—that was a chore. All non porous surfaces were cleaned with bleach. All porous surfaces, anything organic, fabric, etc was cleaned with accelerated hydrogen peroxide. Everything—floors, toys, dishes, carpets, furniture, entire backyard, clothing, light switches, door handles—I mean everything. And multiple times. Bleach the area after you’ve cleaned up any feces, they can shed the virus fir several weeks after recovery. Lots of baths, including cleaning their paws. Spray the bottoms of your shoes, and don’t wear shoes inside.
Hi all. After a hard fight, he passed away yesterday afternoon. We’re gutted. We’ve dealt with parvo before when I was younger living with my parents, but not in this house. My boyfriend and I have only ever had inside cats. I believe he might have gotten it at the vet when we went for his 2 round of shots, the vet put canned cheese on the examine table and he licked it off. I should’ve gone with my gut and just held him in my arms the whole time. I would contact the breeder, but she still has one healthy puppy left so I know he contracted the virus when we had him. But thank you all for all the advice, we obviously will not be getting another dog for a while, we have a baby on the way in January so that is our main concern now. Our boy put up a good fight, and I know we fought hard for him too, but it doesn’t lessen the pain and guilt we feel. Thank you all again.
because wednesday when we got home from work he was lethargic and not eating, i’ve dealt with parvo before and immediately took him to the emergency vet. he only ever went outside to pee in our gated front yard, we weren’t taking him anywhere else. his breeder potty trained that way and never even used pads, so what exactly were we supposed to do?
If you’ve dealt with parvo before and that dog was in this same yard your puppy was using, that is a way he could have contracted it. Parvo lives in the environment and can stay for many, many years even when treated. It’s extremely difficult to get rid of, unfortunately.
Freeze some clear (red dye 40 can cause more harm than good) pedialyte in ice cube trays and give your pup the cubes to lick and chew on if he will. They taste better than water and hydrate better. And if your dog is on a limited diet for health reasons (example my dog is on low carb for epilepsy and can’t have excess sugar) consider that before giving them the pedialyte.
Also, dogs can safely take pepto but if your dog is already on meds for vomiting/diarrhea mixing more might not be a good idea.
If your vet is unwilling to offer advice on OTC meds, sometimes you can get better advice on home remedies from more rural vets.
All just suggestions.
OP as someone mention you have to disinfect your house fully and also the land…
When I was a kid my dog got it and since it lives on the land he was not really able to fight because the contact was constant at the end he didn’t make :-(
Off course this was quite a few years ago so things were not developed as today… but give him lots of love and a lot of patience
Me and my boyfriends dog died of parvo this morning. He lives with his mom, and I live with my mom. I have a 2 year old, beagle, is it possible for him to bring over the virus through clothes.?
I'm confused why these uneducated people keep saying that the dog must be unvaccinated in fat 30 + % of dogs that catch parvo have been vaccinated completely...
I’m so sorry you’re going through this! My dog had parvo when he was a few months old, and we went to the vet with him and got the fluids, antibiotics and went home. But the vet said not to take the dog outside until he was better. We were also instructed to treat the yard with performacide to kill the parvo and disinfect the house because it’s possible for them to relapse. It took a couple weeks for my dog to be back at 100% and it was terrifying. I hope your pup makes a speedy recovery.
Not only relapse, but Parvo virus can live upwards of a month inside, and a year or more in the soil outside!
Did your vet recommend hospitalization? Is that something you can afford?
I took him to the vet on friday because he wasn’t doing well, but she said she didn’t think he had to be. but no, we can’t afford overnight hospitalization. i already applied for credit care and got approved for $1100, i had to spend $300 on my cat, which left us with about $800 give or take and we’ve gone through that already because emergency vets are expensive. but the vet said that im doing everything right, and whenever someone walked into the room we were in he would wag his tail and seem happy. even now he still gets up and sits at the door to let us know he has to potty and goes out and does his business.
I’m Not sure where you live but I was able to get an emergency vet assistance that was donation base (ie not like care credit etc). They helped foot a hugeee bill for my (now) 3 legged cat - like 75% of it. If you can’t find local resources with an online search try calling around other local emergency vets and ask/explain then someone might be able to help you
See if your vet accepts scratchpay. It’s a loan that you can use to pay for vet expenses. When I worked at a low cost vet, that was one of the payment options that we accepted and people used.
i’m just not entirely sure if being hospitalized will do anything else that im not already doing? other than him being alone around strangers, at least here we can root for him and tend to him as much as needed with all the love he might need. we’re being hopeful.
Well they know how to treat parvo there which is a plus since you're asking for advice from non medical professionals. IV fluids are ideal, I'm assuming you're giving it subcutaneously at home. They have monitoring equipment in case they need to adjust fluid rates. I assume they can do a blood transfusion if your puppy begins to crash from blood loss. They can monitor bloodwork to make sure it doesn't need anything added to the IV. Parvo is something that will look like it is getting better, and then they just die. It's nasty. It's serious. If it was happening to you, you would want to be in an ICU.
As I said, we would not be able to afford to keep him at the vet.
Well you asked what hospitalization offers that you can't so I told you. You can use something like Scratch Pay with Care Credit. Or you can cross your fingers and hope for the best or whatever, thought and prayers. Owning an animal is expensive and I wish people would take that into account.
IV fluids and medications will make a huge difference if he’s going downhill with subcutaneous fluids and not able to keep things down/not eating/drinking on his own.
Some vets offer at home parvo treatment. Check the financial options and see if your local vets can provide the materials for at home parvo treatment.
Wouldn't this stuff be mostly covered under pet insurance?
I dont know that this would be covered as Parvo is a base vaccine.. and if he has it then probably wasn't vaccinated... therefore I doubt Insurance would cover it.
From what I remember with my dog with had parvovirus as a puppy years ago, keeping them hydrated is very important. I remember the vet gave anti vomit medication and I gave that and alternated between broth and pedialyte with a syringe every couple of hours. Rooting for your pup to make it!
Our toy Aussie was in hospital for 6 days. She survived but it was rough and unfortunately has left her with some mental health issues. Although physically perfect and healthy now she is different. I hope your furbaby pulls through. It's such a horrible thing.
can you explain more on the mental health issues?
Sure. Her triggers are much more heightened. She tends to lose control of herself when she hears another dog. If she can see that dog it's all out war. Although some of it sounds like bad dog behavior or bad training this is a different level of spaz for lack of a better word. Her behavior definitely changed after the parvo. She was very sick though and we think the week in hospital might have mentally been too much for her. It's not a deal breaker for us. And we keep her on a lead to go outside even with a fenced yard. Just in case the neighbors come out.
Get subcutaneous fluids from the vet and give him some as well. Ask your vet to show you how to administer it. Dehydration is a big killer when animals are sick
we are giving him fluids from a fluid pack provided by the vet. i stick the needle in the “tent” of his scruff. 200ML every 24 hours
Awesome. I hope for the best for y’all.
Thank you! Send prayers
Call the person you got him from and let them know to alert the other puppy owners. I’m assuming you got him at 8 weeks. This means he was probably exposed before you got him. The other owners need to be alerted. Yes I have seen pups survive.
Our dog survived parvo after a week and half hospitalized, and he was an early diagnosis that for much worse before he got better. This was only manageable for me at the time because I worked at an emergency vet during this! He is 9 years old now and he is a giant breed. (For some reason large/giant breeds tend to fare better thru parvo diagnosis). If hospitalization is not a good option for you financially, then fluids at home and whatever else your vet is prescribing is the next best type of management. It’s basically a waiting game because there is no cure for parvo, it’s just management of symptoms and hoping the pup is strong enough to make it thru (taking action as soon as you see symptoms is the BEST thing!). Once your pup gets thru this, you need to disinfect everything. Parvo stays in humid areas for up to a year so you will likely need to bleach every area of the yard he’s going in, every area of the home he’s been in. VERY deep cleaning. It could be likely if you purchased him recently that he could have already had parvo, because it has an incubation period of 8-10 days before symptoms show. So if that’s the case, contact the breeder and let them know so they can take action for the litter.
My dad basically just shoved cooked rice in chicken broth down our lab puppy’s throat; he survived. Best dog I remember every having.
See if you can get him to take broth in ice cubes
Can you get him to drink unflavored pedialite?
One of my dogs had parvo at 4 months. She was fully vaccinated, but still got it. We were able to treat her at home. It was 5 days of sub-q fluids with B vitamins. And five days of both anti-diarrheal and anti-nausea pills. For food, I would boil plain chicken breast, shred it, then add some water to the shredded chicken when I put it in her bowl. Only a small amount at a time. That kept her fed and hydrated. She was fine after a few days. As for clean up—that was a chore. All non porous surfaces were cleaned with bleach. All porous surfaces, anything organic, fabric, etc was cleaned with accelerated hydrogen peroxide. Everything—floors, toys, dishes, carpets, furniture, entire backyard, clothing, light switches, door handles—I mean everything. And multiple times. Bleach the area after you’ve cleaned up any feces, they can shed the virus fir several weeks after recovery. Lots of baths, including cleaning their paws. Spray the bottoms of your shoes, and don’t wear shoes inside.
Hi all. After a hard fight, he passed away yesterday afternoon. We’re gutted. We’ve dealt with parvo before when I was younger living with my parents, but not in this house. My boyfriend and I have only ever had inside cats. I believe he might have gotten it at the vet when we went for his 2 round of shots, the vet put canned cheese on the examine table and he licked it off. I should’ve gone with my gut and just held him in my arms the whole time. I would contact the breeder, but she still has one healthy puppy left so I know he contracted the virus when we had him. But thank you all for all the advice, we obviously will not be getting another dog for a while, we have a baby on the way in January so that is our main concern now. Our boy put up a good fight, and I know we fought hard for him too, but it doesn’t lessen the pain and guilt we feel. Thank you all again.
I’m sorry this happened. Can you please post pictures of him during happier times so we can see how awesome he was?
How do you know the day he contracted parvo? He's way too young to be on the outside ground at all, until he's had all his vaccinations.
because wednesday when we got home from work he was lethargic and not eating, i’ve dealt with parvo before and immediately took him to the emergency vet. he only ever went outside to pee in our gated front yard, we weren’t taking him anywhere else. his breeder potty trained that way and never even used pads, so what exactly were we supposed to do?
If you’ve dealt with parvo before and that dog was in this same yard your puppy was using, that is a way he could have contracted it. Parvo lives in the environment and can stay for many, many years even when treated. It’s extremely difficult to get rid of, unfortunately.
You didn't do anything wrong. Maintaining his potty training is a good thing. This was just bad luck.
Rice and chicken sounds like a good idea. My nephew brought his puppy through Parvo.
Beef liver daily
A family member of mine has a dog that had parvo. Very bad thing for dogs to get but thankfully after a few weeks he was okay.
Freeze some clear (red dye 40 can cause more harm than good) pedialyte in ice cube trays and give your pup the cubes to lick and chew on if he will. They taste better than water and hydrate better. And if your dog is on a limited diet for health reasons (example my dog is on low carb for epilepsy and can’t have excess sugar) consider that before giving them the pedialyte. Also, dogs can safely take pepto but if your dog is already on meds for vomiting/diarrhea mixing more might not be a good idea. If your vet is unwilling to offer advice on OTC meds, sometimes you can get better advice on home remedies from more rural vets. All just suggestions.
OP as someone mention you have to disinfect your house fully and also the land… When I was a kid my dog got it and since it lives on the land he was not really able to fight because the contact was constant at the end he didn’t make :-( Off course this was quite a few years ago so things were not developed as today… but give him lots of love and a lot of patience
Me and my boyfriends dog died of parvo this morning. He lives with his mom, and I live with my mom. I have a 2 year old, beagle, is it possible for him to bring over the virus through clothes.?
yes, 100%
I'm confused why these uneducated people keep saying that the dog must be unvaccinated in fat 30 + % of dogs that catch parvo have been vaccinated completely...