Pups, Parvo, & Recovery ☁

Hey loves!

The 2 puppies that I brought home in September were tested positive for canine Parvovirus.

Before any goes off and accuses me of not caring for my dogs, they were vaccinated the day/day after I got them. So it's been 3 months since I've had them.

My older dog was fine, but it's most likely due to that she was older & had a well-built immune system. I've had many dogs, but never had to deal with any of the diseases/viruses before. This was a first. So many questions...
I've had them since September. Why now?

In the beginning of December, a bunch of stray cats have been running amok my backyard and all my neighbors' backyards. So we think that the cats may have been carriers of the virus. The cats are not affected by the virus, but due to they were going around everyone's yards ( we all have dogs in the neighborhood), the cats may have picked up the virus from infected dog feces. I've had dogs for years in/around my house. All of which were healthy, so there's no other explanation than this.

★ What is PARVO? ★

Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease that can produce a life-threatening illness. The virus attacks rapidly dividing cells in a dog’s body, most severely affecting the intestinal tract. Parvovirus also attacks the white blood cells, and when young animals are infected, the virus can damage the heart muscle and cause lifelong cardiac problem.

- from Pets WebMD

▼ Jan. 09, 2015 ▼

MoCha woke up very early, at about 1am-2am to vomit. The day before she was "perfectly fine". She didn't vomit or have diarrhea. After vomiting, she wanted to go outside, then I noticed she had diarrhea. Very foul smelling diarrhea too... Smell was horrendous. She came inside and went back to sleep. At 6am, her normal wake-up time, she woke up & played with her sister, Lily, but didn't eat her breakfast or drink. She was less playful & mostly wanted to sleep. 

At 7;30 am we took her to the vet (it opens at 7:30am M-F). The vet did a check-up & an ELISA test to see if she had Parvo. Test came back positive for her. Vet suggested we leave her for intensive in-hospital treatment to guarantee a better 

In the evening I received a call from the vet. After putting MoCha on IV & fluids she was looking better.

▼Jan. 12, 2015 ▼ 

Lily at her breakfast at about 7am. She drank and was playing with my senior dog, Genie. But at about 9am she started to vomit. Nothing came out, but she didn't seem right. Afterwards she went to poop and she had diarrhea with a small spot of blood in it. I knew that it had to be Parvo. Took her into the vet right away, did the ELISA test & results came back positive.

At this point I knew the routine, so I left her at the vet.

I also went in to visit MoCha. I visited her everyday, except Sunday because the hospital is closed on Sundays. But there are vet techs & caretakers in the hospital 24/7.

Both pups received 24/7 care & was on IV non-stop to help with the dehydration. They were administered meds through IV and shots.

▼Jan. 13, 2015 ▼

MoCha is home!!!

Since the first day of being at the vet's, she was eating on her own & she didn't have any diarrhea. She was also very alert and playful with everyone. It seems that everyone really adored her. She was so excited to come home! Early in the morning, the vet took her off IV & gave her oral meds. She took them & kept them down with no problems, so it meant, she was able to come home. One last check-up & I got the call to take her home.

▼Jan. 16, 2015 ▼

Lily is home!!!

She stayed a dong longer than MoCha due to the fact she refused to eat on her own. The vet was actually going to start force feeding her. But after taking her IV off, she ate on her own (Jan. 15). Early in the morning, the vet gave her oral meds & did a last check-up on Lily.
Got the call at 9am & I hurriedly rushed over to pick her up.

▼Jan. 18, 2015 ▼

The furbabies are doing great. They are eating and somewhat drinking on their own. They don't really drink much, but with Parvo, dehydration is what kills the pups... 
So I give them a mixture 50/50 water & infant (unflavored) pedialyte to them every hour or so. I mostly give it to them after meals and in the middle of the night because they tend to always sleep through the night. Rarely do they wake up to get a drink or to the bathroom.

I have a small syringe that I got from my vet. The pups are used to seeing/using it, so when they see it, they will wait & let me put the syringe in their mouth.

Recovery is going extremely well. Their poop is back to normal & so is their appetite.

▼Jan. 19, 2015 ▼

I slowly introduced MoCha back to her original food, kibbles. She was doing very well & loved her prescription food, but the vet said she is well & able to go back to her old diet. To get her back to eating her kibble, I slowly took some of her wet food away & replaced it with her kibble. In the beginning she ate both, then after a while, she only wanted her kibble. So I started giving her just her kibble afterwards.

▼Jan. 23, 2015 ▼

Lily's recovery improved as she had her sisters & was home. The vet said all was well & that she can also get back to her old diet. I did the same with her, I slowly added kibble into her wet food & then eventually her meals were just her regular kibble.

★ What meds/prescriptions are they on? ★

They have 2 separate vets, so they have different meds than each other.

➳ MoCha:
♤ Novartis Animal Health Inc. Sentinel® Spectrum Tasty Chews - for keeping parasites (worms & flees) in control + preventing them
♤ Metronidazole (Flagyl)
♤ Virbac Biomox (amoxicillin)

➳ Lily:
♤ Clavamox (amoxicillin trihydrate/clavulanate potassium) Drops
♤ Metronidazole
♤ Metoclopramide

Both are given medicine (w/food) TWICE a day.

★ Food/Drink ★

Dogs/puppies that have Parvo need to be on a Bland Diet. I went with the recommended food my vet told me.


♤ Hills Prescription Diet i/d Canine Gastrointestinal Health - wet dog food
♤ Abbot Infant Pedialyte (unflavored) - I chose to add this. My vet did not recommend it to me. Dehydration is what makes Parvo dangerous & fatal. My puppies have gone back to their old ways with food, but drinking wise, they drink less than before. To make sure they don't get dehydrated, I add this to their water.

I feed the pups every 2-3 hours. Each pup gets a scoop/large meatball size amount of the food. Parvo destroys the inner linings of the intestinal tract, so DO NOT feed them a lot at once. It may make things worse. Make sure they eat/drink slowly, so they don't end up vomiting it right back up.

I now give them pedialyte in a separate water bowl. Once in a while, they'll go drink it themselves.

I also have read that Parvaid is handy to have in the home. You never know when or how your pup can get infected with Parvo. There are many great reviews with it.


To give them a more nutrients & help with the tummy, I also give the pups a bit of yogurt (plain). Lily dislikes taking her meds... more like hate, but when it is med time, I give her a finger of yogurt after each med to reward her. She loves it!

★ Physical/Social Activity ★

The pups were given permission to be together through recovery by the vet. They DO NOT get to socialize with my older dog, Genie. She has been vaccinated, but the pups will be shedding Parvo through their feces for at least 2 weeks - a month. I just don't want to risk my other furrbaby getting sick.

They play for at least an hour or two & take many naps in between meals/playtime.

They don't get to go outside. It's currently winter and the stray cats are still roaming throughout the neighborhood. I don't want the pups getting sick from something else. It's also, so that they get a good amount of rest.

★ Bathroom/Cleanup ★

I lined up their room with newspapers and doggy pads. The pups know to pee on the doggy pads and poop on the newspapers, so cleanup is easy.

It is very IMPORTANT to clean up right after they poop. Parvo is shedded through the feces. You don't want the pups to start sticking their nose into it. Even worse, you don't want to get it on you, then get it on other things. It's highly contagious.

I'm with the pups most of the day. Out of the 20 hours I am awake, I am with them about 18 hours.

I disinfected everything I could with 3:7 bleach & water. But most people do 1:30. I used more bleach because I wanted to make sure the virus was killed off faster.
In my backyard, I used 1:1 bleach & water. Your grass/plants may die... I leave the solution on the areas for at least 10-20 minutes then wash it out with water.


★ Experience with Parvo ★

It's my first time having to deal with Parvo. It was scary at first, since I mostly heard the horror stories of pups not making it. After much talk with the vet(s), it helped me become more confident in dealing with it & setting up a plan to help my pups fight the virus.

I learned that, even with vaccines, there is still a chance the pups can get it. Different dogs have different immune systems, and many things can alter them.

It's a somewhat stressful task to do in the beginning because you have to really clean everything up. You also have to keep a strict schedule & watch over the pups for at least 2-3 weeks before the virus is gone. Some people have to wait a month or two. Time & money is essential if you want to save their lives.


★ Cost ★

This is where things can get complicated for the furrmom or furrdad.
Vet bills are no fun nor are they cheap. I've heard people paying $2000-$3000 for one pup.

The costs depends on how much meds/care your pup needs. If you catch the symptoms, early on, then it's not as bad. But if your pup is in a near death condition, then of course, more resources are needed & the cost will rack up easily.

My vet told me, I was very lucky & very observant. I caught my pups early on. The cost for MoCha was about $900.
5 days, 4 nights + IV 24/7 + meds + ELISA test + check-ups + 24/7 care

Lily was cheaper at about $800 due to that she was still well hydrated.
5 days, 4 nights + IV 24/7 + meds + ELISA test + check-ups + 24/7 care
(I also had an ELISA test done on Genie which was added to Lily's bill)

And plus bloodwork & parasite testing $500

Total ♒ (about) $1700 + 500 = $2200


★ Advice ★

♒ If you notice symptoms; vomiting, foul smelling diarrhea, bloody feces, lethargy, fever, weight loss, it's best to take the pup to the vet. The virus can kill a pup in 48-72 hours. If it's not Parvo, it can be something else that is seriously harmful to your pup.

♒ Make sure you are on top of your vaccines. Most dogs/pups are usually good after being vaccinated, but their will be those who can still be affected by it (like us -_-)

♒ Read up on the current pet news, like current outbreaks of diseases/viruses & whatnots. It'll help you if you ever have to deal with it, or to help others you know.

♒ Take things in one at a time. If you have a pup with Parvo, talk to you vet, ask questions, & make a plan of how you are to deal with it. The process of getting rid of Parvo is long! So try not to get frustrated with the pups, it's not their fault.

♒ Ask others for help! Other people may have advice that can help your pup survive the fight against Parvo. Here's a site with very good information on how to help your pup get through Parvo: http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/heal_parvo.html
It may not work for all pups, but it can help lessen the vet bills!

♒ Give the pup lots of LOVE. Show them how much you want to get better. I talk to my pups often & I also got them new toys for them to play with. It really helps them.


★ Recovery ★

The pups are back to their playful and feisty selves. They play, eat, & nap all day. They lost a very little amount of weight. I think they lost about 0.5 - 1lb lbs. So glad that they are back home. A few more weeks then they'll be free to terrorize the backyard & chase they stray cats (they play with them... they don't chase to kill. I keep an eye on them).

Fun fact:
MoCha is 9lbs & Lily is 9.8lbs (weighed on day of admission to hospital)
Heavy for being so small. Don't forget, they are part Boston Terrier.

I will update/add to this post when I find new information that can help.