Readers Respond: Dealing with Canine Parvo

Tell us about it
Share the story of your dog's experiences with parvo. How did you cope?

Please note: this space is for your stories. Questions will not be answered on this page. If your pet is ill, please see your vet as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Parvovirus Article Index
Signs of Parvo
Parvo Q&A

heart breaking!!

Parvo is a very vicious disease...i just took care of my lil' Dozer Boy for 6 days we took him to the Vet everyday for meds.shot, and IV's we done everything to giving him Pedialyte,egg yolks,chicken broth to water thru a syringe. He was our dear darling boy!...He struggled to live and we struggled tryn to get him to live and if i had to do it all over again I would have had him put down the second day we went to the Vet. It hurt us so so bad and now i regret letting him suffer just to try to live. God gave me him for 5 months and I enjoyed every minute i had with him and the love i have for my animals i will NEVER let another one go thru it....NOW i am at a dececion in my life that is the worst...i have 2 other dogs that now has it and i have to make that huge step by doing the most human way for them so they won't suffer like our little Dozer did....This stuff is so vicious i never experienced it in my life till now.

—Guest tat2zgurl

help ur dog when u have to wait

I had a dog get parvo and it tested negative at the vet and He only sent me home with nausea meds. The puppy died 2 days later. A month later we got a new dog trusting that the vet was right and it wasn't parvo with the first. This new dog (buddy), got sick 4 days after we got him even though He was vaccinated. I immediately knew what was wrong with the first foamy throw up. Here are the things I learned after my 400 $ vet bill. Foamy throw up is the first sign. The dehydration is what kills them. To help this use a 1cc syringe and slowly squeeze water into the dogs bottom. The fluid is absorbed throw there intestines and rectum at a much much faster rate then when given orally. I couldn't get my puppy to the vet for a day when I saw throw up and the blood is usually when the will text positive. My vet said the butt enemas is probably what saved my dog. The reason ur dogs get it after vaccination is it was already in their system and dogs require periodic boosters to stay protecte

—Guest jenny

god will help us...

My mom bought a dog in her office mate and it was golden retriever named casey,then yesterday my dog doesnt eat and it vomit. Next day i wake up and check her and i was calling my mom because she was tired and not eating then we took her in the pet hospital and then the vet said she has a parvo because of eating of his own poop so there' s bacteria or worms... then we bought vitaminsThen go home..then few mi uetes at home casey vomit she vomiy the vitamins and the food then we really vaccine her ... i wish she wil survive at this moment please god Because my dog sebul died so i dont want casey will die...i will her so much and pray with the rosary just my dog is saved or survived ..so if you have feelings at this story please help me in praying that she will be ok...

—Guest jazmine

My mom saved my life.

I have a 4 mnth old chihuahua that has been diagnosed with parvo i started to see the sighns after my 5mnth old lab past away from it the first sighn was hee throwing up after the second day she got worse so i started treating her with some home remedies she wouldnt drink nor eat so i was giving her pedialyte thru a surenge every hr to the 30minutes also every hr i would give her colodial silver which really did the trick after about the second to third day i started to give her a little bitt of raw egg because she wasnt having any vole movements n today she is feeling so much better shes running jumpinf fighfing its like she is a new puppy

—Guest My diddo Nyria.

Early Detection

Our pup is such a good eater that my son and I worried when his appetite seemed a little off. I gave him boiled chicken and rice and because he wasn't drinking, fed him Pedialyte w/a syringe. When he threw up a little one morning, I thought nothing of it, but my son did. He watched the pup all day and noticed that he had no energy. I took him to the vet that day where the vet tested him for parvo just to be safe. To our horror, our pup tested positive. The vet sent us home with antibiotics, reglan and a prescription for Tamiflu. Because of our vets quick thinking and my son's observation, I am happy to say that our pup developed no other symptoms. After 3 or 4 days he was back to his happy self. His tummy is still a little sensitive, but we are sticking with the boiled chicken diet. He is drinking on his own and is on the mend. Don't wait!! If we would have waited much longer my new, furry, 3 pound kid may not be here with us right now. We LOVE our vet for saving our dog!

—Susanleet

Yorkiepoo Parvo

My Yorkie - Poo contracted Parvo...how I don't know? He was up to date on all his vaccinations, although he is only four months old. He is five pounds at the moment and quite the lil fighter! The diarrhea started on 4/16 and I thought it was because I was giving him so many treats. I backed off of the treats, but the diarrhea only got worse. By 4/18 he was having bloody stools so I scheduled him to see a VCA animal hospital the next day. They stupidly did not catch the Parvo and sent him home with meds for the diarrhea syringe style. IDIOTS! After I started to give the medicine he started throwing up. Although throughout this whole thing he was always playful and energetic! Parvo never crossed my mind. I was still worried so I took him to a new vet the next day. Thankfully they caught the parvo, and with IV treatment he bounced back from it in one day. The vet said he was still playful the whole time! I am so proud of Henree, and can't thank God enough for giving him strength to surviv

—Guest Bree

My lab golden retriever mix has parvo

I found out today my golden retriever lab mix who is 10 months old has parvo and she is not doing good at all I am so worried that she wont make it through the night. She has had an iv most of the day today antibiotics and Tamiflu for the throwing up and they let her go home until tomorrow morning then she has to go back in the morning for more iv fluids and stuff I have been trying to get her to drink and have been giving her water through a surringe and I am just praying she makes it through the night. The person we got her from said she was updated on all her shots and I stupidly believe them without seeing proof so I am not sure but had already set up an appointment to the vet for September unfortunatly it wasn't soon enough so at this point I will be up all night praying she gets through this and seringe feeding her every 25 minutes.

—Guest Praying for Breyah

Sunshine

We have a one year old Shih tzu named Sunshine. On Monday she was throwing up this yellow foam and had diarrhea. She also was very hot from her fever and absolutely refused water or food. I called the vet and took her in immediately. She tested positive for Parvo and the Dr gave her an antibiotic shot, fluids and tamiflu. She gave us the option to admit her or bring her home for care. We chose to bring her home because we knew that she would be more comfortable and we knew we could take care of her. I bought apple flavored Pedialite, chicken and beef baby food and applesauce. I began feeding her every 30 minutes around the clock. 2 syringes of pedialite and 1 syringe of baby food. I took her back to the vet this morning for more fluids. She has perked up a lot and she ate 5 crackers on her own this evening. However, we are still continuing the routine of pedialite and baby food. I have high hopes for her and feel very certain that she is going to be fine.... HAVE FAITH...

—Guest Cmrphy09

PARVO IS A KILLER!!!

2 of my 9month old puppies caught parvo, they were on a drip for 5 days in the vets care but the outlook was slim because we were selfish and didnt get them there jags, one of my biggest mistakes as we almost lost them, the vet said they had a slim to nil chance because they had no vacinations. this was a very hard and guilt filled week for us as we love them dearly. Thankfully they pulled threw but one of them now gets bad cramps in her back legs and finds it hard to walk after she has been laying down for a period of time. All of this could have been avoided if we had just paid the measly price of the jags!! Our selfishness will have everlasting effects on our dogs! Please dont make the same mistake, your dog might not be so lucky!!!!!

—Guest Stacey

My baby Mia

Mia is a 3 1/2month old Jack Russell mix, she is my little ,sweet, crazy girl! She goes to the barn were I got her to hang out with her mom and brother and sisters. When I got her I had asked my friend if they had all of their shots and he said yes. Unfortinatly my freind was given the wrong information about their vaccinations,I found this out after I told him Mia was at the vet with parvo, he was told that they only needed one set of shots which he gave them at 9 wks old. Thursday when we went out to the barn I noticed her brother was not acting like himself, I was very concerned because I have dealt with puppies with Parvo in the past, Monday Mia was her usual silly self playing with anything she came in contact with, by Monday night she was very sick, I took her to the vet first thing Tues. and she has Parvo and is on an IV and antibiotics. her little brother J.J. seems to be fine now. I now know for sure that he had parvo too. I am hoping that Mia will pull through this too..

—Guest S.C.

parvo puppy owner

We adopted our Puppy from Pima County...While I was there I saw a volunteer cleaning up after a sick dog. It did not click that there was Parvo Virus in the clinic until after we adopted our puppy from there. 4 days later she was soooooo sick and had to be hospitalized, not once, but twice. Then she contracted Kennel Cough also. She is still recovering and Im not sure what else her weakened Immune system will throw at her and us monetarily. We love her...but it has been an expensive lesson. IF YOU SEE SICK ANIMALS IN SHELTERS......GO TO ANOTHER SHELTER to ADOPT! Our Daisy thanks us for adopting her...but we have not even had her 2 weeks yet. and we adopted her a couple of weeks after we lost Our Lila Dog to a Pit Bull attack. The Pit not only killed our dog but Mauled my partner... who is still recovering from 10 plus puncture wounds. We can not take the death of another animal we love!

—Guest Amy

Parvo survivor

I have a german shepherd. She is now 3 1/2 years old. At six months she had started vomitting. She refused to eat. Immeadiately I took her to the vet where they tested her for parvo. She was positive. I found another vet who could treat her and take payments since the cost was high. And She was there two weeks inpatient care, iv, antibiotics even a plasma transfusion. She lost 40 lbs but did make it thru. They had said I caught it early and she would have a strong chance of survival, days later they said she needed plasma because her protien levels were dangiously low. I ok'd the treatment. and they said without that she wouldnt have made it. They had 15 puppies in with parvo. She was the one who came out. I figured with a 2100.00 bill what was another 71.00 really?? It seemed to do the trick and today she is happy, healthy and fully of energy. Never had other issues with her.

—Guest Mary

Simba

Simba is a four month old red nose Pittbull he was vomiting and had a bad skin rash we took him to the vet and they told us it was that he was allergic to fleas the next morning he was skin and bones we went back to the same vet and blamed it on us... So we took him straight to the emergency room and in ten minutes he was diagnosed with parvo. My dos was misdiagnosed because the first clinic was too busy to test the dogs stool: my dog was close to death he is still hanging in there but still sick after having parvo for five days intreated should I sue the first clinic? They dont want to take responsibility of the misdiagnosis?

—Guest Steffi

Mocha

I purchased Mocha a 8 week old red pit from the Animal Foundation in Las Vegas, NV on a Saturday, they spayed herand gave her vaccinations on Sunday and we brought her home. Monday she didn't eat very much, Tuesday she was listless, Wednesday she vomitted -I took her to our vet. She said it was Parvo and hospitalized her. On Friday, and $1100.00 later my Mocha died. Of course the shelter refunded the $155 adoption fee but nothing else. I requested they offer all who adopt a dog Parvo testing even if the person has to pay. Just offer. They declined. So I advise anyone going to a shelter get the dog tested before they are spayed or neutered. What a waste of time, money and most of all sufferring for the animals.

—Guest Betty

puppies with parvo

My sisters lab mix puppy had parvo. He was on IVs and was slowly slipping away, the vet tried everyting even blood transfusions, nothing, but then she said we can try a PLASMA transfusion, there are plasma dog donors, so my sisten went and got the plasma, vet transfused it, and within hours the puppy started to turn around, within a day it was up and wagging its tail. Do not give up on puppies with parvo, try plasma, her dog was deathly ill, but came back to life and lived a happy 14 years.

—Guest karen