Hunter is VERY sick

[Jenn]

Hunter has been vomiting, stopped eating and very lethargic so I took him to the vet, turns out he has Parvo. He has had his parvo shot but not the booster. They said they give him 60 percent survival rate becaues of his age, that we caught it fast and the fact that he has had his parvo shot. Hunter is on IV therapy and if he makes it to Friday he is in the clear. please keep us in you thoughts I have cried so much I have no tears left, I could not imagine life with out my hunter.

 

[Pepper]

awww poor guy! Good luck to you both!

Keep us updated.

 

[LeapinLizards]

Jenn, Parvo is an incredibly serious disease when it comes to puppies. What you have going for you is Hunter already had his first shot, his age, and like you said the fact that you caught it early!

Other things to think about is your home, and yard...they can re-infect themselves from their own feces, as the virus can remain in feces for up to 5 months. Use a 1:30 ratio of chlorine bleach and water to clean food and water bowls (4 oz. in 1 gallon of water). Wash any bedding the dog has been in contact with in this same bleach solution and hot water. You should also try to disinfect any other areas that the dog has been, like linoleum, concrete kennels, crates, etc. Even take it to your yard...better to kill your grass (if you have any) than the puppy to get it again. Parvo can live up to 6 months in your home.

For some reason black and tan breeds are more receptive to Parvo...for our dogs (rottweilers) we insist upon at 4 boosters.

I'm so very sorry you're having to go through this. There is not enough emphasis on isolating puppies from EVERYTHING until their last Parvo shot has had enough time to take effect. Too many breeders don't even bother to give them shots at all.

 

[MeiK]

Much luck - and as stated above - disinfect everything. Our boxer puppy had 3 types of pathogens that took 4 months to get rid of. We literally ended up having to bleach the entire yard :main_angry: ... Do whatever it takes!

 

[LizMarie]

That sucks and is extremely serious as everyone else has said but I have hope!!!

You caught it on time and hopefully everything works out. I remember watching Animal Cops Miami on Animal Planet when one of the officers found a little abandoned Pit Bull puppy, it was really young. The Parvo was so bad that the dog already had a distinct smell and bloody stool. I doubt that puppy had been vaccinated but with a little TLC and vet care she made it and found a loving home. If that stray puppy can make it being on deaths door I have hope that your dog will overcome it.

 

[LeapinLizards]

The awful thing about Parvo is that there is no cure, the symptoms can only be treated palliatively. Veterinarians treat it by supporting the dog's systems during the life of the disease. This includes giving fluids, regulating electrolyte levels, controlling body temperature and giving blood transfusions when necessary. I'm glad Hunter is on an IV, that will prevent dehydration, one of the main reasons this virus claims so many lives.

The reason I know so much about Parvo is because I breed Rottweilers, a breed that is VERY prone to Parvo. People are usually not allowed over to our house to see them until they have had their first shots. I had a friend with a litter that had a dinner party when the puppies were 3 weeks old. Someone at the party brought the virus in, either on their shoes, or something, and the bitch came into contact with it on her feet, then brought it in to her puppies. Wiped out the entire litter...it was devastating.

I'm VERY hopeful for Hunter...he's got a great mommy that took him to the vet when necessary, and didn't wait for the symptoms to get worse, or clear up, as then it would have been too late. Keep your head up Jenn

Did the vet give you an alternative food for him in the meantime? I know a lot of vets will prescribe the Hill's a/d as it is a little easier for them to digest while they are fighting this.

 

[Jenn]

yes he is on hills a/d. He made it thru the night which is awesome and to me his color looks so much better already. I took him to the vet this am for Ivs and antibiotics and I take him back friday am for more fluids and then we discuss the plan of acton then. I already have been bleaching everythng and im going to do the yard this evening. Im spraying the whole things down with bleach.

 

[Mel&Keith]

We're sending happy thoughts your way! A friend of ours rescued a puppy a while back who had Parvo. After a 2 weeks stay at the vet she pulled through and is a big, healthy dog now. Hopefully Hunter sees a full recovery as well!

 

[OSUgecko]

Poor Hunter! Hope he gets better soon.

Veterinary ICU care has improved tremendously over the years, and keeps getting better. I have seen a LOT of dogs diagnosed with parvovirus that completely recovered and never looked back! Follow everything your vet says to the letter, keep Hunter's environment squeaky clean, and you've got a great chance at a full recovery!

 

[Jenn]

yes he is on hills a/d. He made it thru the night which is awesome and to me his color looks so much better already. I took him to the vet this am for Ivs and antibiotics and I take him back friday am for more fluids and then we discuss the plan of acton then. I already have been bleaching everythng and im going to do the yard this evening. Im spraying the whole things down with bleach.

Just wanna correct myself they gave him Hills I/D food.

 

[LeapinLizards]

Just wanna correct myself they gave him Hills I/D food.

Lol sorry that is what I meant!! I realized I put the wrong letter...I'm used to the i/d for the slurry!

 

[Pepper]

That's not very good food..It's one of those foods vets are supposed to sell or use, it's full of corn products and fillers along with by product meals, there are a lot better foods out there.

Same with science diet,that stuff is bad too.

 

[LeapinLizards]

Oh it's definitely not the best food out there Sara, trust me I've done more than my fair share of research.

The Hill's Prescription Diets are formulated for different things. The a/d is the antioxidant formula, and the i/d is for gastrointestinal problems. It is specifically formulated for EASY digestion in dogs that have symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.

Yes, it may contain corn flour and sodium - two not great additives, but the rest of the ingredients are pork liver, poultry liver, chicken, fish oil, a number of vitamins and other nutrients to aid in the digestion process. You cannot really compare it to the Science diet that is almost completely made up of fillers.

Like I said, yes, there ARE better foods out there, but this one is specially made for digestion issues...helping greatly with Parvo...when it's coming out one end or the other, or BOTH.

 

[Jenn]

she said it is a good food for blaned diets. I actually have to mix it with chicken broth to get him to even look at it.

 

[OSUgecko]

Vets aren't "supposed" to sell Science Diet. However, Hills is one of the few companies out there that makes diets specifically for medical issues. I/D is one of their products that has bland ingredients to help prevent digestive upsets. They also have diets for diabetics, allergic dogs, dogs with kidney disease, etc. These diets are supposed to be prescribed only by veterinarians because they are formulated to help treat certain medical conditions; they are not "maintenance" foods.

Hills products (both prescription and maintenance) undergo a lot of nutritional research and feeding trials before going on the market, and they are actually one of only a few companies that do this (others include some products from Purina, Iams, Royal Canin, and the company that makes EVO). Their diets are nutritionally complete and have been proven as such through testing. They are not "bad" dog foods.

 

[Pepper]

When a food starts with corn meal, and brewers rice, instead of meats(not meat meal) it's not the best food.

Purina, Iams, and Royal Canine usually do not start with meats and are filled with wheats and corns, things that dog's don't need.

And Royal canine having a food for every breed is nothing more than a fancy scam, the ingredients are basically the same on every bag.

Innova EVO is really good food, it starts with a meat, i.e. chicken, beef, etc..

Wellness, solid Gold, Innova, and a few other dogs foods make foods for dogs with Gastrointestinal Disorders.

A lot of the dog food dogs need when they have problems upsets them because yes it does have a lot of ingredients, sometimes multiple meat sources, etc..
But there's plenty of food out there that doesn't start with corn and rice, and starts with plain chicken that doesn't upset their problem.

When our dog was having problems like this, not from parvo though, but the same thing where any tiny bit of anything would have her vomiting and pooing everywhere, we just put her on simple chicken wellness food and she was fine because it was simple, the Hills I/D made it worse, but maybe that's just her.

And I can't find these in the ingredients of I/D
pork liver, poultry liver, chicken, fish oil...

It says chicken liver flavor on the bag?

Maybe the one I'm looking at is old.

Sorry I totally hijacked the thread!!

 

[Jenn]

The ingredients on the can I got today goes as follows.
water, Egg product, Turkey, Rice, Ground whole grain corn, pork liver then it gets into really long words.

 

[OSUgecko]

Sara, dogs are omnivores, not obligate carnivores. Using corn or rice as a carbohydrate source is not "bad," it's a way to get them the nutrients they need. A common misconception is that "meat first" = good diet, but this is not necessarily true. There are a lot of nuances to the pet food industry that most people don't know about. I would be happy to discuss them (and different pet food companies) with you in a different thread.

Jenn, just so you know, I have never seen a dog have an upset stomach that got worse after eating I/D. It's certainly not a cureall, but it is a good dog food for the situation you are facing and should help Hunter while he's sick. You will be able to easily switch him back to his "normal" food once he's feeling better.

 

[LeapinLizards]

http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/products/productDetails.hjsp?PRODUCT<>prd_id=845524441760532

Right from the producer's website, you can click on and view ingredients.

Sorry, the ingredients I listed before was from a can of a/d I had laying around. The i/d has different ingredients because it is a different formula, I was merely pointing out that Hill's Prescription diets were not solely fillers. The presence of ground whole grain corn is less than favorable, I agree. The presence of egg and rice is not meant as a filler in this case, but to make a bland diet that will sustain the animal and not irritate it's digestive track. There is no chicken liver "flavor" on the ingredients listed on the website.

Some dogs do not tolerate corn, that could have been why your dog got sick from the i/d. Our dog has a corn allergy, and cannot have food with corn or the results are "explosive"...

Sorry for hijacking Jenn...any updates on little Hunter? He's so very cute

 

[OSUgecko]

Bad, bad hijackers, all of us! lol. I've gotta run right now, but I will start a new thread on dog nutrition tomorrow evening so the debates can continue in a more appropriate setting.

Give Hunter a hug for me!