Canine Parvo virus

Post by **Clabibi** » Sun May 31, 2009 12:13 am

Did anyone here have a dog that was infected with Parvovirus before? Can the vets in Huahin accurately diagnose this disease and treat the puppy properly or is going to Bangkok the best and only chance to save the puppy?

Post by **Vital Spark** » Sun May 31, 2009 12:52 am

Clabibi: Take your pup to the vet in Hua Hin. It's called the Pet Hospital (I think) and it's signposted from the Petkasem Road, it's the opposite side to the main wet market (one soi south of the traffic lights that go over the railway line).

He's just as good as any vet you may find in Bangkok and you don't want to waste precious time. He's good at diagnosis, and a really friendly bloke. You'll obviously have to wait until tomorrow morning, and I think he opens at 10am. Just keep the pup warm and comfortable tonight.

Good luck.

VS

Post by **PeteC** » Sun May 31, 2009 4:12 am

I had a pup from a litter that was dumped on the road back in Hawaii. He came down with parvo and it was a fierce fight to save him which took weeks. The vet then, and many urge you to put them down but if you show resolve, they'll do their best. Good luck to you and the little guy or gal, it's going to be a tough time.

Pete

Post by **Clabibi** » Sun May 31, 2009 6:19 am

Thank you for your kind replies.

My pup was already checked into The Pet Hospital yesterday, I was trying to read up more information on the internet based on his symptoms and got extremely worried about the Parvo. Though I've been very happy with the vet's professionalism and found that his clinic is pretty well-equipped, i do not know if he had experienced diagnosing and treating such a serious virus properly and successfully. Hence I decided to ask for your opinions in case it's a better idea that I rush my puppy to Bangkok immediately for a proper diagnosis and immediate treatment.

Now I guess I just have to keep a positive mind while waiting for the results of the blood test today. Please let it NOT be parvo.

Post by **DawnHRD** » Sun May 31, 2009 7:06 am

Parvo virus is very common here. Yes, that vet and the vet on the Klong road are very experienced in treating it and in diagnosing it. You wouldn't get any better treatment in BKK, but if you wish to take your pup up there, putting it through that journey in a weakened state and keeping it off of IV fluids for another 3 hours, then, of course you could.

Any gastrointestinal problem in pups can be fatal very quickly, and to that end, it doesn't really matter it's parvo or some other GI virus - the treatment would be the same: anti-emetics, antibiotics, anti-diarrhoeal meds and IV fluids to keep the pup hydrated. Both of the vets I've mentioned have pulled through pups of ours with parvo. And in both of those vets, I've lost them from parvo, too. A lot depends on the pup itself, its ability to fight the virus and how quickly the disease was recognised & treated.

The test used is the same one as any vet would use. It is not 100% accurate, sometimes giving false results, so, in my experience, it's best to diagnose on symptoms as well, not just the test result.

Best of luck, I hope your pup pulls through.

When it's sufficiently better, I recommend getting the combined vaccine for it, though. Distemper is another nasty that is very common here & the combined vaccine protects against parvo, distemper and others.

Post by **Clabibi** » Sun May 31, 2009 10:31 am

My little chihuahua had been throwing up and having diarrhoea without having any intake of food due to the loss of appetite. Very worrying as there are so many different kinds of intestinal viruses. We're still waiting for the blood test results. Thankfully the vet has injected some antibiotics, anti vomitting and anti-diarrhoea medication, and has put my pup on the IV since yesterday.

What is a combined vaccine? Is it the usual course of vaccination given to the puppy when we bring them to the vets? I just spoke to the vet, and he said it is not possible that my pup has contracted parvo as he has completed his full course of vaccination. However, he does not have the current vaccine against distemper that is in the market.

if only the number of soi dogs are better controlled in this country, it will be a better place to live in for our canines...

Post by **DawnHRD** » Sun May 31, 2009 8:56 pm

I'm surprised the vet told you it wasn't possible for your pup to contract parvo after having the vaccines. It's not likely, but no vaccine is 100%, so it is possible. As the vet should know, if the vaccine is given while the pup is still nursing, for instance, it can invalidate it. I had an entire litter contract parvo this way. Also, some dogs just don't take the vaccines efficacy as they should.

The combined vaccine protects typically against distemper, hepatitis, parvo, adenovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis.

While you're right that soi dogs are typically not vaccinated, a huge amount of owned dogs are not, either. It never ceases to amaze me the number of people (Thai & farang) who will spend thousands on a dog, but it will already be sick from the puppy farm it came from. I can't understand why people will buy from a shop, or worse, a market and not insist on seeing the mother and where the pup was born & raised.
And so many never vaccinate against doggy diseases - only rabies, which, obviously can affect humans.The whole idea of raising & looking after dogs in Thailand could do with an educational overhaul, in my opinion.

Good luck, I hope your pup recovers fully.

Post by **Clabibi** » Sun May 31, 2009 11:56 pm

thank you for your kind blessings..

i spent quite a while with my pup at the hospital just now, and asked probably a thousand questions which i didn't manage to clarify on the phone this morning. The vet had given the same combined vaccine you mentioned to my pup over the past months. He says that after vaccination, the pup is 90% vaccinated against parvo, and that since my pup is already 7-8 months old, the risk is lower than a 2 -4 months old pup (think i read that on the internet too). He was sure it is not parvo this time because of his blood test and that my pup did not develop bloody faeces. It is a case of bacterial infection in the large intestines. he said the same thing that you mentioned, about the course of treatment. The risks we are facing now is "shock dehydration??" through sudden large amounts of vomits and diarrhoea irreplaceable through the current IV in the small amount of time, and the spreading of bacteria into other organs. The next 3 - 7 days are most crucial to determine if the pup will live or die. He also said that he will change the antibiotics if it does not seem to work in 3 days. Though it sounds logical, it still sounds like trial and error to me, it's scary.

It upsets me to learn about thais and farangs who could spend thousands on a cute little puppy from the market. but couldn't spend that few hundred baht on getting the vaccinations done to protect the little life. Especially for the farangs, where on earth, in your home country, can you get your puppy vaccinated and even neutered for merely a few hundred baht?? Definitely not a display of thriftiness as a virtue, merely being irresponsible.
It does not look like this educational revolution will happen in the next decade. So i guess my dog can never escape a quarantine when i bring him back to my country in future.

Found a nice prayer, thought I should share with all pet lovers...

Good St Francis, you loved all of God's creatures
To you they were your brothers and sisters
Help us to follow your example of treating every living thing with kindness
St Francis, Patron Saint of animals, watch over my pet and keep my companion safe and healthy.
Amen.