Parvo virus in 4 month old pug puppy adopted from rescue a few days ago…

[TeaTotaler]

After many years of not owning a dog our family decided to pursue getting a dog again earlier this summer. Dh has loved pugs since he was a teenager and we always talked about getting one if/when we decided to get another dog. We filled out an application at pug rescue at the beginning of June and after a home visit we were approved. We then kept waiting for the right dog. Ds wanted a puppy but we knew the chances of getting one would be slim.

On Monday of this past week we got an email from the rescue saying that they were going to be picking up a momma pug and one of her male pups about 4 months old. The rescue wanted to know if were interested. Of course, we said yes. We got him home on Tuesday night with the understanding that we would take him in for shots and neutering ASAP to the recommended VCA. I called Wed and the surgery was scheduled for Thursday.

Our puppy seemed to do well after the surgery. He ate some food Thurs evening and I was told to give him ½ tab of Rimadyl (an anti-inflammatory). Fri morning he ate again and took another ½ tab of Rimadyl. Friday afternoon he threw up most of his food and later threw up mostly liquid. I called the VCA clinic and they said to hold off the food and see if the vomiting stops. Puppy still seemed lethargic on Sat but later in the day seemed to perk up and he ate a little bit Sat evening. Sunday morning threw up again and after he did the same in the afternoon we called the VCA and took him in.

The doc on emergency care duty gave him an anti-nausea medication and decided to keep him overnight for observation. I called around 10pm and the vet on duty told me that he was stable but still had not had any of the water offered to him. I got a call around midnight and the Vet said that they had taken an x-ray which did not show an obstruction. However, with a swab they got a sample of stool and it tested positive for Parvo virus.

He said that they would start IV treatment immediately to prevent dehydration. Dh and I have been reading some info online but we are still confused about what the long term effects will be if the puppy does survive.

Also, how does one clean carpets to prevent re-infection. I understand that toys, bowls, crates etc will need to be cleaned with bleach.

We are heartbroken…not sure how we will break the news to ds in the morning. In a few short days the little guy had become a part of our family. I have to call the volunteer from the rescue in the morning because she owns several older pugs and our puppy stayed with her for about 24 hours.

If you have any advice or experience please share.

Thanks in advance for reading this long post.

[SonshineLearner]

I don't know... but gosh... I am SOOOO sorry for you!! :(

[JudyJudyJudy]

We had a puppy that had parvo. He was extraordinarily sick. Surprisingly, over a year later, he is doing very well.

[VaKim]

There are no long term effects. We have a 5 year old dog now that had parvo as a pup. We adopted him and his brother at the same time, and they both apparently had it when we got them. The other pup didn't make it, but thankfully, this one was a strong little fellow and did. And also, it is very unusual for one to get parvo again once they have survived it. Hope your puppy makes it. It is indeed heartbreaking.

[WishboneDawn]

I would be telling the rescue about this. First so they could screen the rest of the pups and second because the pup should have been screened before you got it.

[TeaTotaler]

Thank you all for sharing. You've given me some hope. I've been checking his status through the night and right now he is stabilized with an IV. No change yet in his demeanor. I guess the next few days are crucial. We are praying that he makes it.

 

Normally the rescue does do the shots and neutering before putting up a dog for adoption but the circumstances around this pup's rescue were a little different so they let us take him home with a foster agreement with the adoption to be completed in 2 weeks after he had his shots and was neutered.

 

I talked to the rescue volunteer and she was as distraught as I. I had to wake my son up this morning with this dreadful news.

 

Please pray for our family. We have been going through a lot lately and I could not stop crying through the night as I thought about an impending loss.

 

For those of you with pups who survived - did you anything do improve your dog's immune system?

 

Thanks.

 

 

After many years of not owning a dog our family decided to pursue getting a dog again earlier this summer. Dh has loved pugs since he was a teenager and we always talked about getting one if/when we decided to get another dog. We filled out an application at pug rescue at the beginning of June and after a home visit we were approved. We then kept waiting for the right dog. Ds wanted a puppy but we knew the chances of getting one would be slim.

 

On Monday of this past week we got an email from the rescue saying that they were going to be picking up a momma pug and one of her male pups about 4 months old. The rescue wanted to know if were interested. Of course, we said yes. We got him home on Tuesday night with the understanding that we would take him in for shots and neutering ASAP to the recommended VCA. I called Wed and the surgery was scheduled for Thursday.

 

Our puppy seemed to do well after the surgery. He ate some food Thurs evening and I was told to give him ½ tab of Rimadyl (an anti-inflammatory). Fri morning he ate again and took another ½ tab of Rimadyl. Friday afternoon he threw up most of his food and later threw up mostly liquid. I called the VCA clinic and they said to hold off the food and see if the vomiting stops. Puppy still seemed lethargic on Sat but later in the day seemed to perk up and he ate a little bit Sat evening. Sunday morning threw up again and after he did the same in the afternoon we called the VCA and took him in.

 

The doc on emergency care duty gave him an anti-nausea medication and decided to keep him overnight for observation. I called around 10pm and the vet on duty told me that he was stable but still had not had any of the water offered to him. I got a call around midnight and the Vet said that they had taken an x-ray which did not show an obstruction. However, with a swab they got a sample of stool and it tested positive for Parvo virus.

 

He said that they would start IV treatment immediately to prevent dehydration. Dh and I have been reading some info online but we are still confused about what the long term effects will be if the puppy does survive.

 

Also, how does one clean carpets to prevent re-infection. I understand that toys, bowls, crates etc will need to be cleaned with bleach.

 

We are heartbroken…not sure how we will break the news to ds in the morning. In a few short days the little guy had become a part of our family. I have to call the volunteer from the rescue in the morning because she owns several older pugs and our puppy stayed with her for about 24 hours.

 

If you have any advice or experience please share.

 

Thanks in advance for reading this long post.

[Impish]

No personal experience with it, but praying he recovers quickly :grouphug:

[JudoMom]

Thank you all for sharing. You've given me some hope. I've been checking his status through the night and right now he is stabilized with an IV. No change yet in his demeanor. I guess the next few days are crucial. We are praying that he makes it.

 

Normally the rescue does do the shots and neutering before putting up a dog for adoption but the circumstances around this pup's rescue were a little different so they let us take him home with a foster agreement with the adoption to be completed in 2 weeks after he had his shots and was neutered.

 

I talked to the rescue volunteer and she was as distraught as I. I had to wake my son up this morning with this dreadful news.

 

Please pray for our family. We have been going through a lot lately and I could not stop crying through the night as I thought about an impending loss.

 

For those of you with pups who survived - did you anything do improve your dog's immune system?

 

Thanks.

 

I'm so sorry--I will be praying that the pup makes it :grouphug:.

 

(the poster fka threelops)

[SailorMom]

No advice, but :grouphug:

[RoughCollie]

:grouphug::grouphug: :grouphug:

 

Lots of people knowledgeable about parvo here:

 

http://www.dogforums.com/

 

Post under dog health questions, or search parvo and read the threads. I know there is information on there about ridding the house and yard of the parvo virus.

Edited August 29, 2011 by RoughCollie

[lakotajm]

I did not even know there was a treatment or that pups could survive it. We had pup brother and sister who got it and both died. Then again, we could not have afforded the IV treatment, I'm sure. Before that, I had not even heard of Parvo. I hope it does ok. Hugs.

Lakota

[pfamilygal]

I'm so sorry. We brought home a stray a last month. We wondered if it belonged to someone, so we took it to the shelter to be fixed and get shots. No one claimed him so we brought him home. Five days later he died of parvo. Shelter wouldn't even refund our money. Kids were heartbroken.

 

Parvo is evil.

[OH_Homeschooler]

Our dog had parvo in February. It was terrible. She was about 18 months at the time so a bit older than your pup, but she pulled through and you would never know she was so sick. Keep us updated if you can!

[SueinNC]

We rescued two puppies that had parvo. Per the vet's instructions, we fed them pedialyte through a syringe every 1/2 hour as much as they could take (usually 2-3 syringes at a time) and about 4 times a day a syringe of liquid vitamin. Within 48 hours, both were recovering nicely. 15 years later, they are still with us!

[Kebo]

:grouphug: Sorry to hear about the parvo. It is a wicked virus. With treatment, however, there is a good chance of recovery! The virus may be mild or severe, and older puppies generally do better than the very young. The fluids and antibiotics are the first line of treatment -- there are additional treatments than can be added for those that need it. It may be pricey to treat, as it can be touch and go for days, but those that recover should have no lasting effects. My family dog had parvo 30 years ago (when it was a new virus), and he was healthy as can be for the rest of his life.

 

This is not something that can be screened for before symptoms appear. There is several days lag between exposure and symptoms, but testing during this stage will be negative.

 

Good luck to you and your pup!

[TeaTotaler]

Update: Thank you all for your hugs and prayers. The recovery stories are very encouraging. I talked to the Vet on duty at the clinic - she is also the one who did the neutering. Our pup is still stable. No vomiting or diarrhea but he also has shown no interest in food. The waiting, watching and praying continues.

 

Thank you all for sharing. You've given me some hope. I've been checking his status through the night and right now he is stabilized with an IV. No change yet in his demeanor. I guess the next few days are crucial. We are praying that he makes it.

 

Normally the rescue does do the shots and neutering before putting up a dog for adoption but the circumstances around this pup's rescue were a little different so they let us take him home with a foster agreement with the adoption to be completed in 2 weeks after he had his shots and was neutered.

 

I talked to the rescue volunteer and she was as distraught as I. I had to wake my son up this morning with this dreadful news.

 

Please pray for our family. We have been going through a lot lately and I could not stop crying through the night as I thought about an impending loss.

 

For those of you with pups who survived - did you anything do improve your dog's immune system?

 

Thanks.

[TeaTotaler]

Update 8/30/11 about our little pug puppy:

The Vet said that he had a little bit of diarrhea last evening which is not surprising given the Parvo. This morning around 5 am he ate a teeny bit of a bland diet that was hand fed to him. Other than that he continues to stay stable.

Thanks again for your prayers.

 

After many years of not owning a dog our family decided to pursue getting a dog again earlier this summer. Dh has loved pugs since he was a teenager and we always talked about getting one if/when we decided to get another dog. We filled out an application at pug rescue at the beginning of June and after a home visit we were approved. We then kept waiting for the right dog. Ds wanted a puppy but we knew the chances of getting one would be slim.

 

On Monday of this past week we got an email from the rescue saying that they were going to be picking up a momma pug and one of her male pups about 4 months old. The rescue wanted to know if were interested. Of course, we said yes. We got him home on Tuesday night with the understanding that we would take him in for shots and neutering ASAP to the recommended VCA. I called Wed and the surgery was scheduled for Thursday.

 

Our puppy seemed to do well after the surgery. He ate some food Thurs evening and I was told to give him ½ tab of Rimadyl (an anti-inflammatory). Fri morning he ate again and took another ½ tab of Rimadyl. Friday afternoon he threw up most of his food and later threw up mostly liquid. I called the VCA clinic and they said to hold off the food and see if the vomiting stops. Puppy still seemed lethargic on Sat but later in the day seemed to perk up and he ate a little bit Sat evening. Sunday morning threw up again and after he did the same in the afternoon we called the VCA and took him in.

 

The doc on emergency care duty gave him an anti-nausea medication and decided to keep him overnight for observation. I called around 10pm and the vet on duty told me that he was stable but still had not had any of the water offered to him. I got a call around midnight and the Vet said that they had taken an x-ray which did not show an obstruction. However, with a swab they got a sample of stool and it tested positive for Parvo virus.

 

He said that they would start IV treatment immediately to prevent dehydration. Dh and I have been reading some info online but we are still confused about what the long term effects will be if the puppy does survive.

 

Also, how does one clean carpets to prevent re-infection. I understand that toys, bowls, crates etc will need to be cleaned with bleach.

 

We are heartbroken…not sure how we will break the news to ds in the morning. In a few short days the little guy had become a part of our family. I have to call the volunteer from the rescue in the morning because she owns several older pugs and our puppy stayed with her for about 24 hours.

 

If you have any advice or experience please share.

 

Thanks in advance for reading this long post.

[Aggie]

Update 8/30/11 about our little pug puppy:

The Vet said that he had a little bit of diarrhea last evening which is not surprising given the Parvo. This morning around 5 am he ate a teeny bit of a bland diet that was hand fed to him. Other than that he continues to stay stable.

Thanks again for your prayers.

 

As pp stated, it is possible to survive Parvo. I hope your pup pulls through this!:grouphug:

 

IIRC, the Parvo virus can stay in soil for 7(?)years. During this time, it is strongly advisable to not have another puppy. I may have this all wrong, but you might want to ask your vet about it.

[Kebo]

That's an encouraging update :001_smile:

[TeaTotaler]

Update 8/31 GOOD NEWS!!! The Vet called me last night to let me know that puppy had significantly improved. Yesterday morning, he still wasn't showing much interest in food so she decided to try something different. The pup's mom, who had been rescued at the same time, was brought into the clinic on Monday and also tested positive for Parvo. They were both kept in isolation in pens next to each other at the clinic. The Vet decided to take our pup and put him in with his momma for a brief period. He immediately perked up, wagged his tail and was energized enough to eat 1/2 cup of food from his own bowl :-)

 

She told me that if he continues on the same path all day Wed, she was *cautiously optimistic* that he could come home at the end of the day. I just talked to her and she said he had done well and was READY TO GO HOME!!! We are so excited:D I spent several hours this morning disinfecting all of his stuff with a bleach solution. We pick him later tonight.

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your prayers and kind thoughts.

If I can figure out how to post a picture I will do so some time soon.

 

 

After many years of not owning a dog our family decided to pursue getting a dog again earlier this summer. Dh has loved pugs since he was a teenager and we always talked about getting one if/when we decided to get another dog. We filled out an application at pug rescue at the beginning of June and after a home visit we were approved. We then kept waiting for the right dog. Ds wanted a puppy but we knew the chances of getting one would be slim.

 

On Monday of this past week we got an email from the rescue saying that they were going to be picking up a momma pug and one of her male pups about 4 months old. The rescue wanted to know if were interested. Of course, we said yes. We got him home on Tuesday night with the understanding that we would take him in for shots and neutering ASAP to the recommended VCA. I called Wed and the surgery was scheduled for Thursday.

 

Our puppy seemed to do well after the surgery. He ate some food Thurs evening and I was told to give him ½ tab of Rimadyl (an anti-inflammatory). Fri morning he ate again and took another ½ tab of Rimadyl. Friday afternoon he threw up most of his food and later threw up mostly liquid. I called the VCA clinic and they said to hold off the food and see if the vomiting stops. Puppy still seemed lethargic on Sat but later in the day seemed to perk up and he ate a little bit Sat evening. Sunday morning threw up again and after he did the same in the afternoon we called the VCA and took him in.

 

The doc on emergency care duty gave him an anti-nausea medication and decided to keep him overnight for observation. I called around 10pm and the vet on duty told me that he was stable but still had not had any of the water offered to him. I got a call around midnight and the Vet said that they had taken an x-ray which did not show an obstruction. However, with a swab they got a sample of stool and it tested positive for Parvo virus.

 

He said that they would start IV treatment immediately to prevent dehydration. Dh and I have been reading some info online but we are still confused about what the long term effects will be if the puppy does survive.

 

Also, how does one clean carpets to prevent re-infection. I understand that toys, bowls, crates etc will need to be cleaned with bleach.

 

We are heartbroken…not sure how we will break the news to ds in the morning. In a few short days the little guy had become a part of our family. I have to call the volunteer from the rescue in the morning because she owns several older pugs and our puppy stayed with her for about 24 hours.

 

If you have any advice or experience please share.

 

Thanks in advance for reading this long post.

[JudoMom]

Update 8/31 GOOD NEWS!!! The Vet called me last night to let me know that puppy had significantly improved. Yesterday morning, he still wasn't showing much interest in food so she decided to try something different. The pup's mom, who had been rescued at the same time, was brought into the clinic on Monday and also tested positive for Parvo. They were both kept in isolation in pens next to each other at the clinic. The Vet decided to take our pup and put him in with his momma for a brief period. He immediately perked up, wagged his tail and was energized enough to eat 1/2 cup of food from his own bowl :-)

 

She told me that if he continues on the same path all day Wed, she was *cautiously optimistic* that he could come home at the end of the day. I just talked to her and she said he had done well and was READY TO GO HOME!!! We are so excited:D I spent several hours this morning disinfecting all of his stuff with a bleach solution. We pick him later tonight.

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your prayers and kind thoughts.

If I can figure out how to post a picture I will do so some time soon.

 

Yippee! Praying that he continues to recover :D!

[Jennifer3141]

That's FANTASTIC news!!! :grouphug:

[Beth in OH]

Wonderful news!

[JudyJudyJudy]

I'm very glad to read the updates! After knowing how sick our puppy was, yet he still recovered, I'm not surprised to see the good news. :)

[VaKim]

:hurray:

[zookeeper]

This is very encouraging! One of our puppies has parvo and is at the hospital now. We're praying she recovers and the other one doesn't get it. So glad to hear your puppy pulled through!!