Parvo

Parvo can strike a dog at any time in its life. Puppies younger than 9 weeks of age are at most risk and most danger of contracting this disease. Parvo itself is not what can kill the dog, but the symptoms can. Once dehydration has set in this is usually marked by decreased appetite, diarrhea, and then moves progressively to vomiting. All of which continue to lead to severe dehydration, shallow breathing, depression, and in most un-maintained cases, death.

The good news is, however, that once your dog survives Parvo it has an increased tolerance to the disease and some experts say that in some cases even a lifetime immunity.

The bad news is the longer it takes to recognize that your dog is in progressive Parvo, the more drastic the maintenance procedure in keeping them alive and many times the more costly.

It is possible to treat Parvo at home if the disease is caught early on.

It is important to treat all areas with 1oz bleach to 9 oz water ratio. This includes the yard and any where in the house your dog can reach that may withstand such a concentration of bleach. These areas include wood, linoleum, or tile floors, doorknobs, counters, etc.

All shared dishes should be washed in this solution and thoroughly rinsed or at a minimum be run through a dishwasher.

Humans cannot catch Parvo but we are probably one of the greatest transmitters of the disease. Humans carry it from dog to dog via petting, dog showcasing, walking in common areas, etc.

The greatest precaution one can take is to begin puppies of a litter on preventative shots as early as three weeks. Worming should also begin at this time. If one has an increased concern for risk of Parvo, they may follow up with this treatment at week 4-5 and again on week 6-7. These shots may be purchased at most feed stores or CO-OPs, etc.

If one begins to notice symptoms of Parvo it is important to begin to act promptly because death can occur within two to three days. Most dogs who make it through their progressive symptoms for at least 5 days or more will most likely survive.

Mixing a 1/2 proportional level of indigestion medicine in a moist dog food will assist in reducing gastric production and assist in hydration of the dog. A Tagamet-like liquid substance is often administered through injection by the vet and with special care may be attempted by the brave at heart right in the home. This may in some cases be acquired by your understanding vet if you ask to undertake this level of care yourself. It is of the utmost importance that this injection is placed in the muscle, because if you inject it into a vein this most surely will mean the death of your dog.

If the dog progresses into major dehydration it will be necessary to place the dog on an IV of 60-75cc of IV fluid per 1 lb. This fluid is placed underneath the skin along the neck and on each side of the spine and divided into approximately 4-5 locations. This will initially cause the skin to form large bubbles underneath the injected area, but that is okay. If leaking occurs when removing the IV needle one may pinch the exit wound and gently shake the water-swollen bubble to assist in fluid dispersement and body absorption. Although many dogs may recover within a 5-day period this procedure should be used as little as possible. The more often one has to resort to this procedure the more the skin becomes traumatically disturbed and there is an increased chance of large segments of skin falling off the dog which may lead to death itself and increase the potential of infection. It is our opinion that one should only partake of this over a 5-day period three times at the most unless obvious death will occur without treatment. If this IV induction is performed by a vet they will also administer antibiotics to the dog to assist with any potential infections. One should try to work with their vet to try and arrange an outpatient treatment intervention on days 2 & 4 and a follow up visit on day 5 or 6 based on the dogs progress. If the dog makes it this long it has a pretty good chance of survival.

As you go through this treatment period it may also be good to administer Tagamet or other acid-reducer proportionate to the weight of the dog as compared to a human's weight on the box. This can be as small as 1/4 pill for a puppy up to one full pill for an adult dog. One can often encourage the dog to take the pill by covering it with peanut butter or by mixing it in with a piece of soft food or ground beef.

During the time of treatment it is also good to try to get the dog to eat things high in moisture content. Dehydration is the biggest problem. Overcooked boiled noodles mixed with a little meat or moist food is good and is often taken eagerly by the dog. This will assist the dog in maintaining a higher level of hydration. This does not have all the nutrients the dog needs, however. After the dog is recovered it is very important to make sure that the dog gets the nutrients it needs which can often be found in high nutrient dog food able to be found at the vet and pet supply stores. Also one may look at getting a nutrient paste and using this during the treatment period. These pastes are also available at the vet and pet supply stores and can be applied directly into the dog's mouth.

Current preventative shots are reportedly not hindered by the maternal hormones given by the mother dog. There is a lot of out of date information on Parvo but would caution one to begin preventative shots as early as 3 weeks with regular follow-up and to treat all possible infected areas with the appropriate bleach mixtures.