In the last month, my schnoodle- Dutchie and my miniature schnauzer-Princess
contracted Parvo. Both had been vaccinated. Dutchie was sick first. I
had no idea of what she had. We thought she had found poison. One of my
co-workers, Rachel, had owned and operated a professional kennel for years. She
said the symptoms sounded like Parvo. I had heard of Parvo. Mainly from
owners of pit bulls. I felt like Dutchie had been delivered a death
sentence. I was at work and my kids had called saying something was
real bad wrong. They used the words"all of a sudden". Rachel said
it sounded like Parvo and her only chance was if she was taken to the
vet ASAP. So I called the vet and made an emergency appt. My oldest son
who is 21 called and said she was in a real bad way. I knew it was bad
then. Keep in mind she was just fine that morning. I went to pick all of them
up. I went into shock when I saw Dutchie. She looked like death. We rushed
to the vet. She couldn't even walk and was trembling all over. Her eyes
were so sad and very watery. We were seen immediately. Dutchie was
tested for Parvo twice. BOTH RESULTS CAME BACK NEGATIVE. Keep in
mind we live in a rural area of Oklahoma. The little town we
drove to is very small. The vet was puzzled. Then in front of the
vet, Dutchie started vomitting puddles of yellow bile. Then she had
explosive diarreah that looked to be PURE BLOOD. She was going down
by the minute. The vet said she didn't care what the test findings were,
she knew for a fact Dutchie had Parvo. She said we could hospitalize her and
even then her survival would be 50/ 50. She said they would put an I.V. in her
to keep her hydrated, give her anti-nausea meds, anti-biotics, pain meds, and monitor
her condition over the weekend. She said that a wave of dogs had been
coming in and she had 2 in the back hospital as we spoke. She said due to
the brutal side effects and suffering involved if we didn't hospitalize her
we should have her euthanized. We hospitalized her. The vet felt she
was encountering a new strain of Parvo. Since we had Princess with us,
she gave her a booster shot to ensure her safety. We were all traumatized
by what we saw. The visit was very expensive and created a fnancial hardship.
She said Dutchie appeared to be in good condition prior to being sick. She
said if she made it the next 48 hrs. her chances of survival would be
good but not guaranteed. She said dogs had came in who looked as if they would
make it and didn't and vice versa. We were a wreck when we left. Princess was
so sad when we left. Over the weekend, it was pitiful to watch her go
from room to room looking for Dutchie. Monday, I called the vet as soon as it
opened. The receptionist said let me check. She came back and said Dutchie would
be ready to go home. She lively, trying to "gulp" her food down, and had tried to
remove her I.V. by herself. She said they needed to clean her up and she would be
ready to go home at 2 pm. I was amazed. We had been told it would be 3 to 5 days.
Two weeks later, again on a Friday, in the evening Princess started going down.
The kids said it couldn't be Parvo because she got the booster shot. But I knew.
She went down so fast and that Parvo smell was present. It is a smell if encountered
even briefly that you will never forget. I sent the kids to stay with family for
the weekend. Due to her getting sick so quickly after Dutchie, I couldn't afford
a second hospitalization. I was devastated. I felt so much guilt. It hurt that
I couldn't give her the same level of care. I had did some serious research when
Dutchie became sick. I did non-stop resarch that night. Several sites had mentioned
how the anti-viral med Tamiflu proved to be a miracle drug for Parvo if given as
soon as symptoms were identified. It requires a prescription by a vet. Many
vets, including mine, will not do this. I was determined Princess would survive.
I compiled what I had found and made a list. It was late when I dropped the
kids off and I didn't have what I felt I needed. But I knew I had to do
something right then. I also knew that the intestinal system was the area
that so many symptoms were generated. The only thing I had was a pro-biotic
called Pearls. I gave her two. Pro-biotics target the repair and stabilization
of the digestive system. I had offered fluids throughout the night. I became so exhauste
I fell asleep in the early am. I woke up in a couple of hours. Princess wasn't where
I left her. During the night, Princess trembled uncontrollaby and became completely
listless. I called for her repeatedly. No Princess. With the help of her sister, I found
her quickly but had to get to her. She had crawled to the furthest wall corner under my
son's twin bed. She could barely raise her head. I had to move the bed to get her. She looked
at me with eyes full of water, shivering all over, and whimpering. The smell was horrific.
Honest to God, I wanted to collapse. I knew I couldn't. Time would dictate her life
or death.
PLEASE, IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO TAKE YOUR MUCH LOVED DOG TO THE VET, DO SO QUICKLY.
Home Treatment is a duty that requires EXTREME dedication. I realize now that I had
no idea of the true HORROR of Parvo. Despite my list, my all night research, and my
dedication, I was terrified. The following is a list of things I gave/ did for
Princess. She did survive. Tonite, I felt overjoyed. Parvo is strange. In my experience,
once your loved one makes it around the bend recovery moves quickly. It is a tramautic
experience for you and the one you love. Time seems to stand still. Home treatment
never stops. Exhaustion will set in for you. For the first 36 hrs, recovery being possible
will swing back and forth. Things ALWAYS get worse at night. There is one anti-viral,OTC med
that can be purchased at Wal-Mart . I remembered the med from when I took it that one season
when a viral form of the flu was causing fatalities. It was amazing. I speculated that
if the anti-viral med Tamiflu wa effective, it was worth a chance to try. About two hours
after gave this to her, I began to feel a tiny ray of hope. It is the second med on the list
and should be given 30 min. after the anti-nausea medication Delysn for children.
I can't emphasize the IMPORTANCE OF GETTING THIS OTC ANTI-VIRAL MED IN YOUR DOG'S
SYSTEM AS SOON AS YOU SEE THE SYMPTOMS OCCUR.
I have to warn you that administering the meds will be difficult and require you to literally
pry your dog's mouth apart to give. Try to pour/ squirt fluids inside of the cheek area. Ok, here
goes the list of meds/ tactics I did that took my Princess literally from the door of death to
in 48 hrs. drinking on her own, walking on her own, jumping/ playing/wrestling with Dutchie and
eating on her own. I was never able to get her to eat anything. Princess LOVES TO EAT.
Her refusal to eat, self-imposed isolation, and what appeared to be severe depression was the total
opposite of who she is when normal. (*NOTE: Princess diarreah was not bloody, however it was profuse
I pray that I never encounter that smell again. Her vomit was not yellow. It was white and
foamy. I wasn't with Dutchie, but Princess appeared to have mini convulsions. There were periods
that she had simultaneous dry heaves/ rectal spasms that wouldn't produce anything)
LIST:
DELSYN -
anti-nausea med for children. Give this first to decrease dehydration amount and the
successful administration of critical meds. Princess is a miniature schnauzer. I gave her
a teaspoon two to three times each day as needed.
OSCILLOCOCCINUM-
OTC antiviral that can be found in the flu/ cold section at Walmart or Walgreen's.
It is amazing. It was the next best known alternative to Tamiflu. If a study were to be done, I believe
it would come out in first place. During the swine flu epidemic, many healthcare professionals
stated that it was more effective for that viral disease. It will be in a white box with orange and
yellow detail. Boiron is the manufacturer. Boiron is located in Europe. This medication is the
number one choice in England for viral illnesses. In the box will be six vials. Each vial will
contain white granules that dissolve immediately to enter the blood stream. PLEASE GET THIS INTO YOUR
PET'S (Family member in our home) as soon as possible. If I would have thought of making the
substitution Friday night, alot of suffering by Princess and ME could have been avoided. She was
looking in better condition than I was this evening.
ANY KIND WILL DO OF ANTI-DIARREAH TABLET WILL WORK. I chose mine based on size. I gave two the
first day and one today.
PEDIALYTE-
This liquid ensures hydration and electrolytes are supported. Fluids should be given no matter
what it takes every 2 hrs. at a minimum. Every other time period offer the pedialyte in a bowl.
The pedialyte is very important. I read instances in which giving pedialyte was not succesful due
to inability to pry open the clenched jaws. In these type of cases there is a way you can
slowly place fluids with a syringe/ needle just under the skin in the hip areas. You know it
is time to repeat the action when skin lays completely flat again. I didn't have to do that.
CHILDREN'S MOTRIN-
This provides relief from their abdominal pain, fever, and hard chills. Give according to weight
chart on box and as needed
CAPSULE AMOXICILLIN-
For my Princess, she received 250 mg twice. I opened the capsule and mixed it with water and ended up
having to give by syringe. I happened to have these on hand. It is very possible you will not.
If this is the scenario, you need to go to the grocery store and get FRESH GARLIC. Peel and chop.
Simmer in slow boiling water for 10 minutes. Let cool and suction into syringe. For a small dog,
half a syringe should be given every two hrs.
SYRINGES- You will need these the first 24 to 39 hrs. at a minimum. SYRINGES ARE THE VEHICLE THAT
DELIVERS HEALING.
It is late and despite my exhaustion, I was determined to get this posted. Please forward to others.
I was able to SAVE MY BABY despite the fact it took me 15 hrs after onset to begin. Princess
had made the turnaround in 33 hrs. This doesn't sound like a very long time, but it felt like
forever. I hope it is of help to someone.
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