What are some signs a dog has parvo?
by on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 | 6 Comments
Question by Face In The Crowd: What are some signs a dog has parvo?
I often pick up strays and keep them at home with my other dogs until i can get them to a rescue centre and i was just wondering how can you tell by looking at a dog if it has parvo so i don’t bring the dog home and around my other dogs?
Best answer:
Answer by Johnny on the Spot
I’ve had to endure having two dogs in my life time with parvo. One made it, the other did not.
They sleep…a lot. That’s the biggest thing. A normal puppy will be very mischievous and run around a lot. And they don’t eat much.
And they can have horrible diarrhea.
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First of all parvo is a puppy disease…if they are over 8 or 9 months old they can’t get it…the symptoms are lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and not really eating…though in the early stage they will still eat and seem halfway okay…here is the rule of thumb i use for puppies…if when they are awake they are not a constant bundle of energy and they came from the street or are a rescue dog, well they prob have parvo….it comes from lying in poop and digesting some of it…
First signs are generally vomiting and diarrhea. Dehydration will happen very quickly. Thank you for what you do but please be careful. Parvo is very expensive to treat and there are no guarantees.
The first signs very between vomiting or just simple anorexia/lethargy. Sometimes you see the diarrhea first.
This is also a great web site for this, too:
http://dogparvosymptoms.net/
It is NOT safe to bring home strays and house them with your dogs. If you intend on doing this, you need to have a quarantine area to house them in where they have no contact with your personal pets, with proper sanitation measures taken (hand washing with antibacterial soap prior to touching your pets, shoes dedicated for the quarantine area that are not brought into yoru home where your pets are, etc). To do otherwise is to risk their health and is irresponsible.
Parvo is NOT just limited to puppies, as another answerer claimed. Adult dogs can get it too, but as they are generally fully vaccinated, it is less likely, and as an adult dog dehydrates more slowly than a puppy, the mortality rate among adult dogs is lower. Parvo symptoms include vomiting and/or diarrhea (often foul-smelling and with blood in it) and lethargy. However, dogs can still shed the virus for a month or so after having “recovered”, and can shed it before becoming symptomatic. While shed in the feces, dogs do not have to ingest feces or walk in it, etc. to contract Parvo. It is highly highly contagious, and can be present even in the absence of feces (for example: infected dog poops on grass, feces are removed, virus remains where the feces touched the grass, and can infect any dog that comes into contact). Viruses can cling to the infected animal, get picked up on shoes or clothing, etc. etc. and spread that way as well.
It’s also not just parvo you have to worry about. Other dangerous illnesses like distemper can also be brought into your home by dogs of unknown health status, as can intestinal parasites and external parasites.
Lethargy, not eating, watery diarrhea then progresses to bloody diarrhea. Vomiting. Unable to keep anything down if it drinks. Rapid weight loss. Chemical or ammonia smell to feces.
My Rottweiler just went through this deadly virus. He is 7 months old and was fully vaccinated when he contracted Parvo. I would like to share my story because I know how difficult it is to see your dog go through something like this.
My rottie started showing symptoms on a Tuesday, he was acting depressed all he wanted to do was sleep and followed me everywhere I went. He did not eat but he did drink water. So, I though that maybe he just had an upset stomach or that he was just maturing and starting to break out of that crazy puppy behavior.
Then on Wednesday he was still acting unlike himself (example: he would jump up on me to greet me, also he had these treats that he would beg to get but when I offered him one of these treats he didn’t want it). That evening he vomited, but I was still not concerned because I know he was fully vaccinated & he only vomited a clear fluid with a little dog food in it.
On Thursday I started to get concerned because he just didn’t want to play all he wanted to do was sleep. So I took him to the vet, they told me he had worms. They treated him with a de-wormer and sent him home with me. Well that evening he started vomiting every 10 -15 minutes clear fluid, he couldn’t even hold down water. I started getting really scared. So I told myself I’d call the vet in the morning because he must be having some kind of allergic reaction to the medicine or something
Friday I woke up really early to call the vet. As I went to go check on my rottie I saw that he had diarrhea and the diarrhea looked really red and smelled really strange. As soon as I saw it I knew it was a symptom of Parvo, because I have seen other dogs with this stage of Parvo. I took him straight to the vet’s office, where they tested him. He tested positive! I was sad and angry all at the same time. How could this happen to him he’s vaccinated! The vet started an IV on him immediately. I asked the vet what his chances were, he said that there was no cure for Parvo and Rottweilers have a very slim chance of survival because of their breed (most dogs that are treated early will survive, but Parvo in rotties hit hard and fast and they have the worst of the symptoms). They sent me home with the IV bag and some meds for his vomiting and to coat his stomach.
Saturday, I did the IV treatment 3 times now and gave him all his meds. No change, I don’t think he’s going to make it. I feel so bad all he does is vomit & has diarrhea. He does not want to eat & he barely wants to drink water. I’m losing him!!! But, he keeps fight though, so do I. I keep his room very clean, if he vomits or has a bowel movement I clean it up right away with a water bleach solution. I keep him warm and I pray with him, I also show him all the TLC (tender love & care) I can muster. I can’t give up! I decide to force feed him baby food with pedialyte, because I figure if he eats he’ll get some energy. But, he can’t keep it down.
Sunday is the worst day since all this started, I continue to force feed him baby food mixed with his meds and pedialyte and I continue his IV treatments. There is no change he is getting worst, he has lost his ability to hold his bowels (he doesn’t even get up to poo). He is rigid and unresponsive, he has stopped drinking water. I force him to walk around, I pray for him, I talk with him & tell him how much I love him and he means so much to me, I tell him I won’t give up. I don’t think he’ll make it through the night!
Monday, yes I notice a change it starts with his eyes they don’t have that glazed look anymore. He started moving around by himself, he has stopped vomiting & the diarrhea has slowed to a trickle. He is drinking water, just a little but he is drinking. I continue his IV, meds and force feeding him baby food with pedialyte. Then God answered my prayers, my daughter gives him a piece of chicken & he eats it. Hallelujah! It’s all up hill from here, he gets up and wants to go outside. He even starts licking our faces! The diarrhea stops completely, there is no vomiting, and he wants to eat (slowly).
Tuesday, he is running around (a little), he is cleaning himself, he is eating (3 plates of cut chicken breast), he is wagging his tail. He is still weak and really skinny, but he’s alive and starting to act like his old puppy self =).
I am telling this story for all those Rottwieler owners that get told that their rottie has no chance of making it. Samson, my rottie is living proof that with lots of prayers & love, and of course care (meds from the vet) they can survive!