Treating Parvo Puppy

[H.P.]

I have a foster puppy, 2-3 month old that I am treating for Parvo, I am working with a vet. On day 6 he started to be able to keep down some Pedialite, today, day 7, I have started giving him tiny amounts of chicken baby food also (as the vet recommended). He is still throwing up, about every 6 hours, despite Famotidine injections twice daily. He is also on antibiotic injections and sub Q fluids. My question is if anybody has additional suggestions on how to help with the nausea, supplements, homeopathic, nutritional suggestions, etc. We are also having trouble keeping his blood sugar up, due to the sub Q fluids, and using nutri-cal gel for that. My vet is open to ideas, but not well educated in alternative treatments.

Thanks!
Holly

[BenMax]

Parvo is terrible. So sorry the little one is going through this...and you as well of course.
I cannot add to your thread as I have never personally dealt with treating parvo (knock on wood).
Hopefully someone can help you with suggestions.
I just wanted to acknowledge your thread and I wish you the very best. Hang in there.

[kathryn]

Sorry to say that as much as I think that natural/homeopathic remedies are quite useful for many things, Parvo is not going to be one of them. I have seen a few dogs and puppies die from parvo and it is not pretty. It doesn't happen very often where I live because there are many low cost/free vaccine clinics in the area, but every so often a dog/puppy(s) will come into a shelter with it.

Sounds like you are doing everything you can. A/D canned food works very good for stuff like this, as gross as it is. My foster kitten I have now was in pretty bad shape when I got her and I just did SubQ fluids (lactated ringers), Nutrical, force fed A/D and baby food, Doxy, Clavamox and Cefa-Drops, Terramycin for her eyes and sores.. I've had her since the 5th and she is doing fine now.

Parvo is hard to beat.. I don't know of many pups that have survived it even with hospitalization. Good luck

[H.P.]

Thanks, I will try the A/D food, if I can find it locally. I was just hoping that there might be something along the homeopathic line that would help him with the nausea.

The vet said that the strain of Parvo that they are seeing here right now is a mild strain, and that most dogs do not require hospitalization, that really their chance of recovery at home was about the same as if hospitalized.

Now that he is keeping stuff down as long as he is, I have some hope that he will pull through It seems to me he should be getting some nutrients from what he is taking orally, if it stays down 6-8 hours or so.

[mikischo]

The A/D is a prescription food made by Hill's and your vet will likely have it in supply. I am not fond of most of the veterinarian prescription foods but this product is an exception and is specially formulated for animals that are convalescing.

Sending that your puppy has a complete and speedy recovery.

[SamIam]

Peppermint or peppermint tea can help with nausea. If giving tea, he may or may not take to it; if not, you can tip his head back, give the tea into the corner of the mouth, slowly, using a syringe, and he will swallow it. You can give oral electrolytes such as Pedialyte the same way to help with hydration. Nutri-cal is a good way to combat hypoglycemia and stimulate the appetite as well. However, as far as I know sub-Q fluids do not actually cause hypoglycemia, but it would be fighting the illness that takes a lot of energy, and the inability to digest his food properly to absorb the calories. Your vet can help you out with the right amounts for your puppy's size and condition.

a/d is a veterinary prescription diet from Hills. Your vet will carry a/d or a similar convalescence formula. They are wet canned foods, which could help with hydration, and have a very fine/pasty texture to make digestion easier. You might want to talk to your vet about which one is best, as you can get what you need from another clinic, too. One advantage of a/d over some of the others is it is very bland and that might be better in the case of nausea.