Macy has parvo
 

I can't believe it. I'm in a complete state of shock. My little 5 1/2 month old girl Macy has the dreaded Parvo disease. She was completely vaccinated at 12 weeks and has some how come down with it. Her brother and litter mate Murphy is fine and they do everything together and go everywhere together. The only other dogs they are around are my moms fully vaccinated adult Lab and whatever has been in PetsMart on their 3 trips they've taken in the past two months, which was long after they've received all of their shots. I've been incredibly pro-active and done everything possible to ensure my puppies health. This is so heartbreaking and rough on me. She weighed a healthy 4lbs just two days ago but now she's dipping back into the 3's. She's currently hospitalized and receiving an IV for fluids and antibiotics.

Any one who has any advice on this terrible Parvo disease please post on this thread. Anything will help. Especially ways to clean my house so Murphy isn't further exposed. What I've seen Macy go through is so awful. It's too hard to write about. She's struggling a lot, but I try to remind myself that she is in better hands with the vet. I keep praying she will pull through. I know she will, she's such a strong little girl. Here's a recent picture of her.

I'm so sorry. :(
There is a special cleaner you can get.
I think it is called parvocide or something.

What's this about her being fully vaccinated at 12 weeks?
She would've needed a vaccine at or after 16 weeks or so to protect her as fully as possible. Even vaccinated dogs can get it though... :(

I'm so sorry to hear about this. Where do you take her to poop or walk. My vet said to be carefull cuz they can get in contact with other sick dog's poop.


also, u mention petsmart is a posibility she got it there. it's imposible to know what others dog have.

Sasha and I hope ur doll gets well

Well she had her series of shots which included the Parvo vaccine. One set at 6 weeks, the next at 8 weeks and the last at 12 weeks. Two different vets (the breeders and my own) advised on 3 Parvo vaccines, but nothing further. Hopefully there wasn't an error:( it sure cost Macy her health if so.

I have not had to deal with parvo but I found this for you

The Parvo Virus in the Environment


I hope this helps and your puppy makes a speedy recovery

She was very young to have finished her vaccines, she probably still had antibodies from her mother. For me, first vaccines are given 8-9 weeks, second 12-13 weeks (at which time they go to their new home), and I advise a third at 16-17 weeks, and possibly a fourth at 20-21 weeks. I myself give my own a booster at 6 months, another at 1 year, and then every subsequent year of their life. The boosters are parvo only, since that is the scariest of the diseases. It is still possible for a dog to contract a virus even with a series of vaccines, they can never be 100% protected and there are hundreds, probably thousands, of strains of a virus. A shot can't possibly cover all of them, but covers only the main ones that have been found. I'm sorry to hear about your baby, I send her get well wishes. It's great that she is a little older and bigger, she has a better chance of survival than a tiny pup.

She had her vaccines too soon so the antibodies she got from nursing blocked the effectiveness of the vaccine. She shouldn't have gotten her first vaccination until several weeks after weaning and her last should have been between 16-18 weeks.

In one study of a cross section of different puppies the age at which they were able to respond to a vaccine and develop protection covered a wide period of time. At six weeks of age, 25% of the puppies could be immunized. At 9 weeks of age, 40% of the puppies were able to respond to the vaccine. The number increased to 60% by 16 weeks, and by 18 weeks of age, 95% of the puppies could be immunized.

Parvovirus: Serious Diarrhea in Puppies & Dogs

Her littermate is probably at a high risk of getting it also.

Definately parvo shots given too early.. mine were born dec 10 and have had three shots.. half shots.. and will take them once more due to half shots..
anne

I had a dog with parvo... had all her shots and I got her at 6 months old.. forgot to post this..
she was in the vets for 6 days on iv fluids and they did not know if she would make it and told me that my quick thinking as soon as I saw blood in her poop was what saved her..it was scary...
So I have been told this.. most vets give half shots to yorkies due to size.. so if a normal dog gets a full shot.. then when we give three half shots they are really to me only getting one and a half actual shots.. something to ask you vet tho..

I will be checking on my puppies also.. and if it is not at least 3-4 weeks apart the first one becomes in active.. so worth talking to your vet about this..

I did not have to clean up my house for all my other dogs were well vacinated and had not problem... but I am always open to learn more tooo.. for we never know it all... good luck and keep us posted... anne

not sure where you all are from but all the vets around here start shots a 6 weeks old then every two weeks. So she would have all shots at 12 weeks. But if the shot got hot or was a bad could be what happen. So you are going though this. Bleach everything even your yard. Mix bleach and water in a sprayer. Every thing has to be bleached to kill it. It can live in the ground for years and pop back up. Good luck. Don't feel bad about the way you did the shots, most vets around here starts them at that age unless they are sick or one of the very very tiny. And you can look all of the net they say start it at 6 weeks. So don't feel bad you did nothing wrong. Good luck , I hope she is ok.

I hope she will be ok, keeping her in my thoughts and prayers.

My puppy was lethargic and vomiting last Friday and I rushed to him to the ER. He was tested positive for Parvovirus. My veterinarian gave him Tamiflu and it helped. Tamiflu takes the symptoms of septitis away, if caught in the beginning stages. You should ask your vet about it and tell him to go to Veterinary Information Network (VIN) - For Veterinarians, By Veterinarians to read more about it.

I don't have any advice to offer you, just well wishes for your baby and I want to say that I know you are going through a very rough time right now and I'm sure your very scared. I'll keep you and your baby in my prayers! :ghug:

If that is the case, you people need to start educating your local vets. Dr. Dodd's vaccine protocol, which has been adopted by 27 plus vet schools, recommends the first vaccines not be given until 9-10 weeks old.

Print this out to show to your vet:

W Jean Dodds Vaccine Protocol VACCINATION PROTOCOLS

And also this. I posted this above. It states puppies cannot be fully immunized until 16-18 weeks old:

Parvovirus: Serious Diarrhea in Puppies & Dogs

I know some vets still start at 6 weeks even though current protocol says that is too early. It is very well known that giving vaccines 2 weeks apart actually suppressed the immune system. You never want to give vaccines more often than three weeks apart, with 4 weeks being more optimal. Vaccines are usually given at 8, 12, and 16 weeks although with toy breeds it may be best to start vaccines even later as the are weaned later and therefor maternal antibodies persist longer and make vaccines ineffective.

Thank you. She only goes potty in our back yard or my moms back yard. They're pretty secluded for the most part. But our vet said since it gets so windy where we are at, parvo can travel through particles in the air.

What crazy is if I knew there was any booster of this virus available I would have had it for both of them. I guess once she gets to come back home sometime after she begins a series a Parvo vaccines again. This time I'll ensure to get all info for prevention. I want to do all I can.

Thank you all for your thoughts. Just talked to the vet. Macy is stable and comfortable. She hasn't had any vomiting or diarrhea, which makes sense though since she doesn't have anything in her belly. I have to pick her up at 7:30 AM tomorrow because this is only an emergency vet (for off hours) and they close by 8 AM on Monday. They're leaving the IV/catheter in her so she can start up the fluids and antibiotics with her regular vet. I'll post an update tomorrow. Thanks again

She won't need more parvo vaccines. She will be immune to parvo since she's had the disease, or at least the strain of parvo she had. I really hope she will be okay. Hopefully you caught it early so she has a good chance

Make certain you bleach and sanitize your home before bringing her home. Wash her toys too. And blankets. You do not want to re-expose her . She could have even been exposed to the virus at Petsmart . I agree with the others that she was vaccinated too early. Those did not protect her from the virus. This is why it was easier for her to come down with it. I hope she feels better soon and makes a speedy recovery. :aimeeyork

Im so sorry to hear about Massy. I have heard about more cases of Parvo this year...

Macy won't need it since she got parvo, but I would definitely talk to your vet about revaccinating Murphy since he got his too soon, too.

BTW, they can get parvo from their very own backyard if it isn't fenced. A member on another forum's little Maltese got parvo from his backyard. Other dogs were using it for the neighborhood bathroom. Tucker had had all his shots, too.

I am so glad Macy is a little better this morning!

My vet also starts vaxing at 6 to 8 weeks. Tucker had his first set done the day I got him at 7 weeks old.(the breeder took him) He has had 2 others since then. We had a lab mix pup that had parvo and was super sick with it. She was at the vets for 2 weeks. It was a long recovery process but she pulled through and grew to be almost 80 pounds.
I will keep your Pup in my thougths and prayers and I will say a prayer for your other little guy and that he stays healthy. Please keep us updated. ((hugs))

Vet said to bring Murphy in for a Parvo vaccine, just in case. In his experience having vaccines too young has never been a problem, as long as they do get all of them. His clinic actually recommends begining them around 8 weeks, but mine started theres with the breeder. The vet was extremely suprised to hear Macy was diagnosed with Parvo by the Emergency vet. They said they very rarely get dogs with Parvo who are fully vaccinated. Macy is with them tonight and is on day four without food and water in her system:( Luckily the IV fluids are keeping her healthy. Poor thing is so skiny now. I can't wait to have her home and bring her back to her normal healthy state!

There is anther virus that is very simalar to Parvo , but is to a lesser degree.. I do not remember the name? It has all the same symtoms. I am glad Macy is stable . My Puppy's Vet got Parvo before with all his vaccines given too. He survived as well. I believe the vet took the virus home with him and that is how his own pup became ill.

Some of these breeders are in such a big hurry to get their puppies sold that they start their vaccinations too soon. :thumbdown

Yorkie puppies should stay with their mom and littermates until they are twelve weeks old so 9-10 weeks is fine to get those first vaccines. So many vet bills and heartache could be avoided if breeders would only follow the YTCA rules!

Do you mean Pseudo-Parvo?

Years ago I bought a chihuahua puppy from a very bad breeder - she was a broker. She called me if I can pick up the baby earlier because one of the litter was dying and she wanted him safe. The puppy was 6 weeks but I wanted to save him too and buyed him and took him the same day to my vet because the puppy was very quiet and won´t eat. Catheder, fluids and so one and one day later the little puppy died. Of course the breeder gave not my money back and later I was told that all of the litter were died of parvo as she gave me the last one. 10 weeks later I bought a puppy from an other breeder with full vaccination. The puppy was healthy and after 8 days he was suddenly very sick. The puppy survived only one day at the ER and then died of Parvo.
I had cleaned and desinfacted my whole house after the death of the first puppy but I have forgotten my car :(:exclaim: My second puppy was in my car too :cry:. It was a very bad and heartbreaking experience for me.

I send you my most positive thoughts and wish your Macy become fast healthy again. It´s sounds really good that she is on the way back to health.

My best wishes to you and Macy!!!

Sounds like your baby is doing well, I hope she continues to improve--parvo is a scary disease.

I work at a vet hospital, as far as vax goes, every place is different--we start vax at 6-8 weeks, then booster every 4 weeks-last set being at 18-20 weeks, which is a parvo booster and a rabies vaccine. We have a relief vet that comes(who operates an ER clinic) and he will tell them to come back in 2weeks, instead of 4, for boosters.

So sorry for the ones fighting parvo. We once got a pound puppy that wound up with parvo a few days after we got him. But he was saved after a touch-and-go week and a transfusion from a big boxer. Whenever he did anything rambunctious, we always said it was the boxer in him. We joked that our "mutt" was the most expensive dog we ever had. He was a great pet and proved himself more than worth the vet bills.

Wishing both your Yorkies the very best of health!
Also sending thanks to the breeders with vaccine info. I learn something new here almost every day I sign on!

Macy is in my thoughts and prayers...get well little one...