Products we used:

Parvaid

The following links are not an endorsement for the particular site. They were chosen for the best explanation of the product.

Rebound

Colloidal Silver

Cefazolin

Engystol N

Plasma lyte A Scroll down to "Rule of 20"

OL-Immune

Yunnan Paiyao

Cephalexin A broad spectrum oral antibiotic.

Flower essences

Penta Water

Vitamin C An immune system booster. We used large doses (10,000 mg in each IV bag).

Vitamin K To assist the blood in clott formation.

Multi B vitamins Many of these vital nutrients are lost when diarrhea and/or vomiting are involved that need to be replenished.

Canine Parvovirus (CPV)

Parvo Diagnosis

If your puppy is vomiting and/or has diarrhea, take them to your veterinarian immediately. Do not wait. It is crucial for their life and important to recovery to test for Parvo and begin treatment.

It is much better to spend the money to be safe than to wait a day only to see your puppy worsen, and lessen the chances of recovery. We strongly encourage taking any sick puppy to the vet right away at the first signs of illness. Your vet will do a quick test for the Parvo virus and start the critical supporting therapies.

Current statistics show that without treatment 80% of puppies die; with treatment 80% survive.

 

Parvo Treatment

Treatment for the Parvo virus consists of supporting the dog by preventing dehydration and using antibiotics to help prevent a very likely secondary infection. We added vitamins, herbs and homeopathic remedies to boost the immune system.

More than just avoiding dehydration, it is vital to maintain cellular fluid balance.

If your dog refuses to allow you to give them electrolytes via mouth (using a bulb or syringe) or they are not taking in enough fluids, you need to consult with your vet to get them on parental therapy injections. Enemas are encouraged to aid in fluid uptake.

During this extreme challenge to the intestines and stomach (and possibly the heart) it is important to keep the fluid balance normal in the blood stream to keep the kidneys functioning, while allowing time for the dog's immune system to combat the virus.

In the early stages of advanced treatment, subcutaneous injections of intravenous fluids (IV or parental therapy) help maintain fluid balance. Vitamins are used to help boost the immune system.

Later stages may require IVs with multiple electrolytes interchanged with dextrose added to supply energy. Intravenous Vitamin C is used to combat the virus, and vitamin K is used to help blood clotting.

 

Protect Your Puppy

Don't take you puppy to areas that many dogs gather, such as pet stores or dog parks. Keep them away from all dogs until a titer (blood test) infers that a Parvo vaccination has given your puppy immunity.

 

Our Experience Fighting Parvo

One of the most dreaded diseases for puppies, and we went through it. Our 4 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, Shando, has survived. While we were taking care of our sick puppy, we realized there is so little good information out there to help someone through such an ordeal. Don't give up!

Because of the lack of information on the web, we decided to tell our story. You can read our experiences, from the moment of detection to the day we knew for sure Shando was a survivor.

The following is a time line account of our experience. What we have listed here is directly from our "patient" log and only shows what worked for us. You may not have the same success we did with the same items. This information is not to take the place of you consulting with your vet if you suspect your puppy has Parvo. We have printed this up only to show you what you may expect to happen.

Day 1

Shando weighs 34.5 lb.

7:00am Breakfast of ground raw turkey necks. Everything seems fine.

11:30am Daughter leaves for work. Everything still seems fine.

2:30pm I come home from work to find a puppy that doesn't seem quite right. I walk outside with her so she can go potty and I notice a large puddle of diarrhea in the kennel. I turn to go into the house to call my fiancé to tell him about it and notice she had vomited her half digested breakfast in the patio. We decide to call the vet's office and they feel we should bring her in. While I am on the phone talking to the vet tech, Shando vomits a large amount of water that has white foam on top.

4:30pm A Parvo test confirms that Shando has Parvo. We inform the vet that we would like to take care of her at home.

5:00pm Shando vomits in the vet's office as the vet prepares to administer an antibiotic shot (to fight any secondary infection that may be present), a Vitamin shot (A, multi B's, C), and a couple homeopathic remedy shots at accupressure points for the stomach. Since dogs can hold a lot of water under the skin, she is also given subcutaneous fluids (just under the skin) that contain more of the above vitamins. We purchase a supply of subcutaneous fluids to administer at home.

5:30pm While we are preparing to leave the vet's office, Shando breaks out in massive hives, a reaction to something she had been given. We find out later it was the antibiotic (Amoxicillin). A steroid must be administered due to the very fast progression of the hives. Her eyes and ears were swelling shut, her paws were swelling and every inch of her body was covered with dime size hives. We are told to watch her closely and take her to the emergency clinic if she has difficulty breathing. On the trip home, we decide to take the route nearest the emergency vet office just in case, but her breathing got easier and she returned to normal.

6:00pm We administer initial dose of Parvaid directly on her tongue.

6:15pm We administer second dose of Parvaid with 3 Tbsp. Rebound (electrolytes for dogs) using a syringe.

For the rest of the night we administered Parvaid and 3 Tbsp. Rebound every hour. By 9:00pm, Shando was drinking this out of a dish on her own.

Day 2

7:00am Shando is in a playful mood and is very hungry. We think that the Parvo test was a false positive. Or maybe she is so healthy she is already recovering? We allow her to have a little breakfast and also allow her to chew on a buffalo bone that does not have any meat on it. We also change giving Parvaid and Rebound from every hour to every 3 hours.

12:00pm Relapse. Shando is heading down hill fast.

At this time we did not make any entries into our log and so this is just by memory. Much has been left out because our memory isn't as good as it used to be!

1:00pm We give Shando Parvaid and Rebound via an enema. She absorbs it all.

2:00pm We start Shando on the hourly Parvaid and Rebound again.

(Formal Log begins)

6:30pm Shando wants to eat so we give her 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 Tbsp. Penta water, 3 drops colloidal silver. Shando goes outside to urinate (normal amount).

7:00pm Administer Parvaid and Rebound via syringe.

8:00pm 1/2 cup chicken broth. Shando urinates again (normal amount).

8:30pm Parvaid and Rebound via syringe. Shando urinates (normal amount).

8:38pm 1/3 cup chicken broth of which Shando drank 1/2.

9:50pm Parvaid and Rebound via syringe. Urinates (normal amount).

10:50pm Parvaid and Rebound via syringe.

11:50pm Parvaid and Rebound via syringe.

Day 3

12:50am Parvaid and Rebound via syringe.

2:00am Parvaid and Rebound via syringe.

3:00am Parvaid and Rebound via syringe. Shando is now starting to refuse this and we are only able to get 1/2 into her.

4:00am Parvaid and Rebound plus 1 tsp. raw, wild honey.

5:20am She's hungry so we though we would try food again. We fed her a small amount of boiled hamburger, rice and chicken broth, approximately 3 Tbsp.

6:20am Parvaid and regular electrolytes via syringe.

10:45am Hamburger, rice, chicken broth and Parvaid.

11:30am Shando vomits 5 times. Urinates (normal amount).

1:00pm Urinates (normal amount).

I run to vets office for more supplies. By this time all puppy dreams have disappeared and Shando looks through us rather than at us. She only has enough energy to go outside to potty and drops with exhaustion back into her bed we have set up just inside the back door. When asleep, she hardly moves. Once I thought she had even stopped breathing.

5:22pm Vomits 3 times, urinates (normal amount).

7:30pm Diarrhea with small amount of blood.

7:45pm Parvaid and Rebound via syringe.

8:55pm Parvaid, Rebound and colloidal silver via enema. Shando absorbs all.

10:20pm Parvaid and Rebound. Shando is refusing and we can only get 1/2 into her.

10:49pm Vomits 1 time.

Day 4

12:43am Parvaid and Rebound via syringe.

2:29am Vomits 1 time.

3:00am Diarrhea with blood.

3:30am 1/2 Parvaid and Rebound via syringe.

8:30am Parvaid, Rebound and colloidal silver via enema. All is absorbed.

Diarrhea with blood.

11:30am Antibiotic injection.

1:15pm Vomits 3 times, urinates (normal amount).

2:00pm 1/2 liter sub q plus potassium.

4:00pm Shando is panting.

4:20pm Urinates (normal amount) and wonders around outside a little.

5:00pm 2 Tbsp. Rebound

6:00pm 1 Tbsp. Rebound

7:00pm Parvaid, Rebound and yunnan piao via enema. All is absorbed.

7:05pm Diarrhea with blood. Small amount of urination.

7:15pm Vomit-fairly clear/somewhat green/brown.

8:00pm 500 ml. sub q with vitamin K.

8:36pm Antibiotic (Cefazolin 3 ml.)

Day 5

12:12am Diarrhea with more blood. Small amount of urination. We are concerned since large amounts of fluids are going in, but only small amounts are now coming out. This can be an indication of kidney malfunction.

1:30am Vomit 1 time. Light green liquid.

2:11am Rebound and yunnan piao via enema. All is absorbed.

2:15am Very small amount of urination (just a few drops).

Trotted down hall to bedroom where she usually sleeps. Can shake body with some energy, all the way to her tail.

2:55am Diarrhea with blood.

6:15am Small amount of urination.

6:25am Parvaid, Rebound and colloidal silver via enema. All is absorbed.

8:00am Vet appointment. Shando weighs 34.5 lb. We decide we want to put her on IV solution plus mega vitamin C. The doctor agrees with us in our decision. Her skin is still OK, bounces back relatively quickly, but her gums do not return to pink fast enough. She is listless with a very dull look in her eyes almost as if life is leaving her. Shando gets another injection of vitamins and homeopathic remedies. Since my fiancé has medical experience, we are allowed to take her home and put her on IV's.

10:21am Antibiotic injection.

11:15am IV fluids.

11:30am Vitamin C added to IV (10,000 mg.) after testing to determine if she will have an allergic reaction.

12:00pm Engystol N, IV Plasma Lyte A, multiple electrolytes, 1,000ml./24 hours

4:00pm Normal amount of urination (it is a lot of fun trying to walk a pup on a leash, carry the IV bag and make sure she does not step on the line all at the same time!)

5:30pm Engystol N

8:20pm Antibiotic injection

8:30pm Homeopathic injections

8:43pm Enema consisting of 1 part colloidal silver, 1 part electrolytes. All is absorbed.

9:00pm Urination with normal amount, appearance and odor. Diarrhea that looks as if it is almost half blood.

10:45pm Urination with normal amount and clear!

Day 6

Puppy dreams are slowly returning. Shando's eyes are following us again and are much brighter.

1:30am Exhibited more energy to go outside to urinate.

3:57am Normal urination. Shando wags her tail!

6:45am Large amount of urination.

8:40am Food orientated. Shando licked our other dog's bowl after she ate breakfast and went outside to urinate.

9:00am Antibiotic injection. Cefazolin (3cc).

10:30am Plasma lyte A plus vitamin C (10,000 ml).

10:40am Didn't make it outside in time-urination, normal amount.

12:19pm Very wet tongue when licking out face! Moisture is almost dripping off her tongue! Looks almost normal.

12:30pm Substantial amount of urination. Appeared to want to defecate, but did not.

12:45pm A couple laps of Rebound.

3:05pm Substantial amount of urination.

6:35pm Substantial amount of urination.

7:13pm Time to start eating again! 1 Tbsp. chicken broth. She immediately drank this.

9:15pm Same as above.

9:20pm Normal urination. Wagged her tail at our other dog, Roxy, and trotted by her side back into the house.

11:55pm Normal urination. 2 3/4 chicken broth and Rebound (2:1).

Day 7

2:47am Normal urination. Lot's of cuddling and licking. Shando is now cuddling up to me while I am sleeping.

5:15am Normal urination.

5:30am 3 Tbsp. chicken broth and Rebound (2:1).

6:45am Normal urination. I woke up to find Shando sitting up staring at me!

6:52am 6 Tbsp. chicken broth and Rebound (4:2).

7:20am Both dogs are whining at each other to play.

7:40am We took out the IV and Shando took off running with Roxy, ready to play, so we put her back into the X-pen so she would not exhaust herself.

8:05am Chicken broth, Rebound (4:2) and colloidal silver.

8:10am 2 droppers OL-Immune.

9:05am Antibiotic injection (Cefazolin).

10:38am 4 Tbsp. chicken broth, 2 Tbsp. Rebound plus 1/4 tsp. probiotic.

11:40am 1/4 cup chicken broth, 2 Tbsp. Rebound plus colloidal silver.

12:00pm Bowel movement! Somewhat solid but still contains some blood.

12:12pm Normal urination.

12:43pm Chicken broth, Rebound, colloidal silver.

1:47pm Same as above.

2:12pm Normal urination.

Vet appointment with relief vet, as ours is taking day off. We are there mostly just to get an oral antibiotic. Gums are still not responding optimally but overall, Shando looks great. Vet is surprised she is recovering from Parvo! Shando weighs 31 lb.

3:50pm Normal urination.

4:00pm 1/3 cup chicken broth, 2 Tbsp. Rebound, probiotic.

4:08pm 2 droppers OL-Immune.

5:06pm Normal urination.

5:48pm Chicken broth, Rebound (2:1) plus carrots.

6:55pm Broth, Rebound (2:1), carrots and potatoes.

9:20pm Oral antibiotic.

10:50pm Broth, Rebound, carrots and potatoes.

Day 8

1:20am Normal urination.

1:25am Broth, Rebound, carrots and potatoes plus probiotic.

3:19am Normal urination.

6:24am Normal urination.

9:00am Oral antibiotic.

9:06am Broth, Rebound, carrots and potatoes (no probiotic).

11:00am Broth, Rebound, carrots and potatoes (no probiotic).

1:20pm Repeat only with probiotic.

3:50pm Repeat above.

4:15pm Bowel movement! Somewhat dry, fair volume.

6:10pm Broth, Rebound, carrots, potatoes plus chicken pieces.

7:50 Repeat plus antibiotic.

Shando is back to normal! After this ordeal, it took my fiancé and I more than a week to get back to normal ourselves. More so for him since he was up for almost 48 hours the first 2 nights since I had to go to work twice. I slept with Shando most of the time with my watch set to go off every hour. Even when she was on an IV, just to check on the IV bag and line to make sure everything was fine.

Suggestions:

Our vet's suggestion on how to feed a puppy suffering from severe diarrhea and vomiting:

Stew 1 whole chicken in enough water to cover plus 1 tsp. vinegar (to leach the calcium from the bones) for approximately 12 hours. Remove chicken and 1/2 the broth. Peel russet potatoes and carrots, cut into small chunks and cook in broth until soft.

When puppy has retained electrolytes for 24 hours, start with small amounts of plain chicken broth for 24 more hours. If the pup is holding this down, start adding mashed carrots to meals and then mashed potatoes over the next 24 hours. It is now OK to use the broth the carrots and potatoes were cooked in. If everything is staying down, start adding chicken to the mix.

If at any time the pup starts vomiting again, start over with plain chicken broth and proceed as instructed above.

After 24 hours of holding down chicken broth, carrots and potatoes, start adding very small amounts of the pup's regular food, increasing the regular food at each meal. If you are feeding a raw diet go very slow. Take 3 weeks to incorporate the raw foods again making sure to use a probiotic to help repopulate the gut with good bacteria.

How we protected our floor (many Parvo patients have explosive diarrhea and vomiting without notice) and made Shando comfortable :

Many layers! We set up an X-pen on top of a blue plastic tarp, a canvas painting tarp and newspapers and towels. We made a bed for Shando out of a nice blanket, pillows and more towels in case of accidents. We had some small blankets to cover her with also. We hung blankets around the X-pen to keep her a little warmer and darkened the area a little better.

I put an egg crate type foam rubber pad next to her bed for me. There was always someone (mostly me) with her because you never know when they have to vomit or go potty. There isn't much warning for either, especially when you need to free up an IV line.

Leave the pup with the vet? Or treat at home?

There was no doubt in our mind that we were going to treat at home. Most vet clinics are not prepared to take care of a Parvo pup. Too much one-on-one care is needed. We were referred to an emergency clinic in our area that has 24 hour care, but still wanted Shando at home with us.

We feel moral support aids in the healing process. If the pup is at home with family, he/she can relax and concentrate on healing. We made sure to be upbeat around Shando, we sprayed flower essences that encourage the will to live 5-10 times per day. We also administered homeopathic remedies that strengthen the will to live. If I felt myself tearing up, I left the room.

For people that cannot take time off from work or do not feel they can handle treating at home: if you have an emergency clinic offering 24 hour care in your area, use it. A regular vet may have no one at the clinic between closing time and opening time. Emergency clinics may be more expensive, but 24 hour care is worth it.

$$$ Cost...try not to think about it. $$$

Here in the Pacific Northwest I have heard of vet bills being $2-3K for a Parvo pup at emergency clinics. The cost can be less at a regular vet clinic due to less care during the night. Treating at home can cost even less, but not by far. It is a good idea to have a credit card ready with available charge space. Of course the length of time the pup is ill affects the total price.