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Ask the Vet About Parvovirus in Dogs
Ask the Vet About Parvovirus in Dogs
Dr. Michael Dym
As a practicing veterinarian, Dr. Dym has over 19 years of experience and dedication to enhancing the overall health and well-being of pets. His commitment and passion for pet health continuously drives him to learn more about the art and science of homeopathy through ongoing training and education.
Submit Your QuestionDate: Nov 21, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Parvo or Lyme Disease?
Question:Hi! Our 11 year old Yorkie Terrier was throwing up all day on Thurs., but ate and felt great yesterday. Then today she won't eat or drink and is very lethargic. Could these be signs of Lyme Disease or Parvo? She got infested with deer ticks about 2 months ago, but she doesn't have diarhea which I believe is common with parvo? Thank you in advance!
Answer:Parvo is primarily a disease of puppies, so it's more than likely not that. Then of all the symptoms Lyme can cause, vomiting would be very rare, so it's probably something else. There are MANY causes, often treated very differently so it really is ideal to go ahead and see your veterinarian for a diagnosis and targeted treatment. Here is a link to our article about various causes of vomiting and potential treatments, both over-the-counter and prescription: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/vomiting-causes-dog-cat-36.htm
Date: Nov 19, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Is it the right medication?
Question:Today is the fifth day of my 2.5 month old lab puppy fighting parvo. He is still vomiting and has bloody diarrhea atleast 4-5 times a day. DNS, inj perinorm, inj aciloc, monotax, netspan, metrogil are some of the prescribed medications he is getting twice a day. Is it the right medication? He is going to be fine, right?
Answer:It is always hard to say if they will make it when fighting a virus - it sounds like he is being treated appropriately for the medications that you have in your country. Since it is a virus, you are basically just waiting on his immune system to be able to fight it off, while offering supportive care.
Date: Oct 17, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Dark brown liquid stool
Question:Is my dog fighting the parvovirus if he has dark brown liquid stool or is it just a symptom of the virus. What are the signs he is getting better. What are the signs he’s getting worse
Answer:"dark brown liquid stool" can indicate many things, including parvo. Intestinal parasites are far more common especially if there is no vomiting and relatively normal energy levels but that is what to look for if he worsens. Go ahead and see your veterinarian for a definitive diagnosis and treatment. If that isn't immediately an option, use a broad spectrum over-the-counter dewormer that has the active ingredient fenbendazole like this product: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Safe+Guard+Canine+Dewormer-prod12324.html
Date: Sep 28, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: 10 week German Shepherd with first two shots
Question:My boy has his first two shots, he was outside with me to relieve himself and he picked up some dry poop and then a mouth full of dirt thereafter. There are no signs because this just happened. How concerned should I be for the well-being of my puppy?
Answer:If the dirt was not from a "high dog traffic area" like a dog park or somewhere lots of dogs have pooped over the years, you are probably fine. Watch for vomiting, diarrhea and inappetance (not eating) over the next few days.
Date: Sep 15, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Can we give water to dog
Question:Can I provide water for my puppy in parvovirus
Answer:A puppy with parvo usually cannot stay hydrated orally so needs to be on IV fluids from your veterinarian. At home treatment is not recommended unless treatment at your vet is simply not an option at all. Here is a link to our article about treating parvo virus, with a section about at-home care: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/parvovirus-treatment-dogs-30.htm
Date: Aug 23, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Parvo or drug reaction
Question:Hello, my dog has recently been given dewormer we gave him enough for a 50 lb dog because that's around what we thought he weighed at the time. However we went to the vet three days later because he had a fever, vomiting, lethargic, and wouldn't eat/drink. They weighed him at 37 lbs. However, a lot of dogs around here have had parvo and with him missing the 2nd round (not my fault) they think he has parvo and treated him for that without testing. What do you think? Is it the dewormer or is it parvo?
Answer:I would need a lot more inforamtion to really give you good advice - primarily his age - if he is between ~3 months and 7 months, parvo is the most common cause of the clinical signs you describe. (Of all the causes, it's not the dewormer)
Date: Aug 22, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Should we proceed with adoption?
Question:We recently adopted a 10 week old toy-breed puppy and from the first day, noticed he wasn't eating well and had intermittent diarrhea. On day 4 he became lethargic and was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with parvovirus and coccidia. 3 thousand dollars later he is stable and has been returned to the breeder who offered to oversee his full recovery before returning him to us. My questions are: given the incubation period associated with both parvovirus and coccidia, is it reasonable to assume that he contracted these while in the breeders care and prior to adoption? Secondly, should we proceed with taking the dog back once fully recovered or are we likely to be facing ongoing/lifelong gastro issues as a result of the infections? Thank you!
Answer:The coccidia infestation was definitely already established when you got him. Impossibe to say about the parvo though because the incubation period is 3-7 days. The good news about all this is that, No, the puppy should not have any ongoing/lifelong GI issues from either of those things and will more than likely be immune to parvo for it's life.
Date: Aug 5, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Dog infected with parvo
Question:Our dog had the symptoms of vomit and diarrhea.once it was diagnosed as parvo the treatment has begun by given doses of antibiotics,dns and rl injection. But during the treatment the dog had blood discharge.its been 4 days since the symptoms begun.is it in critical stage?
Answer:Possibly, yes. At home treatment is not recommended unless treatment at your vet is simply not an option at all. Here is a link to our article about treating parvo virus, with a section about at-home care: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/parvovirus-treatment-dogs-30.htm
Date: Jul 29, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: parvo
Question:my puppy had been recently treated for parvo 4 weeks later started having bloody diarrhea.. could this mean parvo has gotten came back and what should I do next
Answer:No - your puppy would be immune to parvo if s/he had it 4 weeks ago. Many things can caus bloody diarrhea. Determining the underlying cause of the diarrhea is ideal. Start by having your veterinarian analyze multiple different fecal samples looking for intestinal parasites. There are so many causes, I will attach a link to our article about diarrhea that goes over many of those causes and discusses various treatments, both over-the-counter and prescription: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/diarrhea-dog-cat-30.htm
Date: Jul 19, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Parvo
Question:Hi my dog was diagnosed with parvo today unfortunately my only option to save my puppy is treat him at home under vets care due to loosing my job during this pandemic! But my puppy hasn’t experienced diarrhea and vomiting yet? Is it possible that he may not endure that while treating this virus?
Answer:Vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and not eating are all signs you will see with parvo, so be sure of the diagnosis. At home treatment is not recommended unless treatment at your vet is simply not an option at all. Here is a link to our article about treating parvo virus, with a section about at-home care: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/parvovirus-treatment-dogs-30.htm
Date: Jul 11, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Rescued Adult Dogs
Question:I belong to an animal rescue and would like to know if rescued adult dogs whose medical history is unknown need the series of parvovirus, distemper vaccines or a single dose.
Answer:If their history is entirely unknown, they need ONE booster from the initial vaccine in 3-4 weeks, so not the full puppy series, just 2 total vaccines.
Date: Jul 7, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: dog skin treatment and parvo
Question:my 4 month old puppy has been experiencing some minor hair losses and skin crustiness then yesterday i found out that my puppy had shown some minor symptoms of parvo. i gaved her amoxicillin and made her drink as the vet said. I'm worried about the skin allergy in my puppy that it might affect her immune system while fighting parvo.
Answer:Mange is much more common in a puppy her age than allergies - it is easy to diagnose by your veterinarian. And home treatment for parvo virus is not ideal - intestinal parasites are more common and can kill them, but are easy to treat, so she really needs to go see her vet for 2 different reasons.
Date: Jun 29, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Parvovirus and deworming
Question:Can Symptoms of parvovirus be confused with side effects of deworming of puppies
Answer:Not really - deworming can cause minor upset stomach - parvo causes much more severe upset stomach.
Date: Jun 26, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Rottweiler
Question:What can I give or feed my 3 month Rotty to stop the bloody stool while he has parvo? How long does it take for my Rotty to survive the parvo?
Answer:At home treatment is not recommended unless treatment at your vet is simply not an option at all. Here is a link to our article about treating parvo virus, with a section about at-home care: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/parvovirus-treatment-dogs-30.htm
Date: Jun 26, 2020
Category: Parvovirus
Pet Type: Dog
Topic: Bloody Stool, Diarrhea, and Vomit
Question:Hello Dr. Dym, This is very urgent and I really hope that you can help me. I have a Golden Retriever and I think he might have the Parovirus. I got this dog from a breeder but he is definitely not trustable when I got the dog he was very sick but we thought he was maybe just tired from the ride over here in LA. This dog came from Mexico and from experience dogs typically from Mexico come with lots of viruses. My dog is now around 3 months and we have been keeping up with all of his shots and taking him to the vet when needed. This morning he woke up very sick. He kept on throwing up and he has lots of diarrhea just around 5 min ago he pooped blood and it looked like bloody mucus. I really don’t want my dog to die and he is also very skinny. He still plays and eats but this morning he just woke up awful. What should I do?
Answer:Seeing your veterinarian and having them make a diagnosis and treat him is ideal. At home treatment is not recommended unless treatment at your vet is simply not an option at all. Here is a link to our article about treating parvo virus, with a section about at-home care: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/parvovirus-treatment-dogs-30.htm
