parvo

[grim]

I gave my pups thier 2nd parvo shot. they have not been anywhere to get parvo I have not been around any dogs that have had parvo. Can they get parvo from the shot if it gets warm when shiped? What can I do to help the pups at home ? the vet gave an atibotics and a sq injection. But they still wont eat or drink try to give fluid by drops in mouth but still can't keep it down. Can I give sq injection on my own?

[Doc S]

No, they cannot get parvo from a warm vaccine. It just doesn't give them any immunity. Parvo is tough and can live in the environment for years, so it could have come from nearly anywhere. I would recommend you call your veterinarian in the morning. They can best advise you how to treat these pups since they have seen their condition. Doc S

[chuck raab]

About three years ago I had a litter of six pups. I took them to my vet and had thier first shot given. the next day I notice one wasn't acting like itself. I took it back to my vet and she check it out and treated it. It finually got real sick and I took it back, but my vet never check it to see if it had parve. It died with parvo I've never seen anything so horrible. I know vets says that they don't get parvo from the shot, but explain to me how only one pup out of six gets parvo when they are all in the same kennel and they all get the shot at the same time. Chuck

[oakhill]

Like the doc said. They can get the parvo virus from almost anywhere. Insects are a good carrier. Especially flys. You can walk thru Walmart and step where someone else stepped that had feces on their feet that has the virus in it and take it home. I can't remember exactly, but a very small amount of feces can carry a large amount of this virus. Tires from vechicles is a good way to bring this in. Also any strange dog in the area may be a carrier. Could have a light case since most older dogs are introduced to this virus in very small amounts and start to build up their own immunity. Also, birds are a biggy. If there is some old food laying around the kennel, it doesn't take long for them to zero in on it and could dropped their feces in the water or food dish. Summer is the high time for parvo. Have also read that parvo test may come back positive right after having the shots. Read also that the virus can live in the soil for up to 7 months and that doesn't include the months the ground is frozen.

With all this in mind, I lost a litter of pups several years ago and I learned as much as I could from this terrible experience. And you can ask anyone who visits my kennel and they will tell you how protective I am about my pups. Bleach, Bleach, Bleach!!!! Pups are in ac in the summer. On pea gravel. No food laying around. Keep fly strips in the birthing pen and fly poison around the area. Andddd, NO touches my pups except me!!! Look all ya want, but don't touch. If you have picked up a dog from your kennel and gotten feces anywhere on you then you are a walking carrier for a pup.

Fluids are they main thing to get down the pups if they git this virus. Pedialyte with a syringe. The vet can give you something for diarrhea and vomiting and sometimes an antibiotic to prevent a secondary infection. Anddddddd, if you do get the pups thru the main ordeal, make sure that you don't over feed them when they are starting to feel better. They will eat like there is no tomorrow and this will make them sick. Gotta start slow.
The way one pup can get this and not all the rest is that the immunity comes from the first milk of the mom. And if a pup is slow to catch on and is rooted out, it may not get as much of the antibodies that the other pups get. OR may not get any. And there is that window in there where the mom's immunity wears off and the shots takes effect. Takes about two weeks for the shot to build up the immunity. So you may have up to two weeks where they pups are very susceptable to any of the dreaded viruses. If you had one pup get this viruses and none of the other pups didn't get it, you are darn lucky.
First sign of the virus you need to contact your vet immediately. Usually a pup will be dead within 24 hours if not treated.

Good luck!!!! Most horrible experience that I have ever gone thru. I feel for anyone who has had to go thru this ordeal

s

[grim]

Well the pups made it through the first 24 hrs from seeing the vet they are more active today than they were yesterday. they are drinking on thier own and eatting a little. thanks for the info people

[S.R.Patch]

Shots can go bad if mishandled but also it is up to the pups own immune system to build up resistance to the weakened virus from the shot. A weak immune system will not build up a good enough resistance to fight it off. Also, if the mothers antibodies from the milk, are still active within the pup, they will fight off the virus from the shot and the pups will have gained nothing from it, then if the pup comes in contact with the virus it will come down with it.

We have pulled pups through it by giving fluids injected under the skin of the belly and having them on a oral treatment for vomiting and secondary infections. The stomach must rest while the body fights off the virus.

The best way we've found to fight it is breed early in the year and have the pups at a older age with their shots already in them by the time parvo gets going in the summer. We used to hate it when a bitch would come in season in Dec. or Jan. and force us to put her up but if she's one we're wanting to breed, it's a blessing in disguise.

Best of luck with yours...Patch

[Brian]

This is a terrible virus and the effects go way past the cure or saving of the pup. I lost 3 pups out of a litter 4 years ago and the ones i saved never turned completely normal. I have seen this before in other breeds. It seems if a pup has parvo and is saved that it never really matures in size or structure kind of like it has a puppy body and never really grows up or even kind of stunted growth.

Has anyone else seen this.

[bluegrass]

I had one pup that made it through parvo out of a litter of 4 and at 9 months old she was the same size as the 3 month old bluetick pup in my back yard now. She never got to normal size or matured in any way that I could see, except that she was white faced and looked like she was 9 or 10 years old in the face. Very strange dog and was glad to be rid of her when she finally went away.

[Guest]

We have a 15" male out back and I'd hate to see how big he'd have grown if he hadn't of had parvo. Not saying it can't have an effect on their development, would probably depend how small and severe they had it...Patch

[Brian]

This is a good question for Doc.

It sounds like others have noticed the same thing with pups having stunted growth. I know a guy that has a pups 7 months old that survived Parvo when very small maybe 10 weeks and right now it looks no different than a pup that would tryly be about 3-4 months old.


Hey Patch is this what we are going to have to do to these Patch hounds to keep them under! (NOT) I'll take 17" and healthy LOL!

[Guest]

Not at all, brian.
I was joking, I personally have not had size affected by parvo but don't doubt it could happen.

Of the 2 of 6 that lived through the parvo, one was a 13" female and the other was a 15" male, but thats typical size of what we get alot, big males and little females...

[S.R.Patch]

Ooops, that was me...Patch

[Doc S]

Parvo will NOT have any long term effects upon a dog. I have seen and pulled through dozens of dogs with parvo that went on to be 110% normal. Distemper, which can look like parvo, will stunt growth, effect digestion, effect mentation, and performance. I would wonder if some of these stunted dogs may have had distemper rather than parvo??? Doc S