Christine T.

I lost a rescue puppy to parvo, she was 8 weeks and just about to get her first round of vaccines. We chose to give her supportive care in the hopes that she would make it (if they can survive the first four days the disease usually has run it's course a… Read more

I lost a rescue puppy to parvo, she was 8 weeks and just about to get her first round of vaccines. We chose to give her supportive care in the hopes that she would make it (if they can survive the first four days the disease usually has run it's course and the dog survives. In her case she lived until the morning of the fourth day and then crashed. We had her euthanized rather than make her suffer any longer. It is brutal in these young babies, you can only support them (in isolation) with fluids and companionship. I spent a lot of time with her those four days and it is a vicious disease. Young puppies usually succumb because they don't have the body weight to survive the disease which depletes them of all of their fluids. Please realize that very young dogs are at risk until they have had several rounds of parvo. If you do get a rescue puppy that has parvo and survives you can sometimes receive some help with the costs from a breed rescue. It cost about $650 five years ago to give her supportive care. Symptoms include lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting and loose stool with blood in it. Everyone (especially those who get rescue puppies) needs to be more educated about this. I have had dogs my whole life and never heard about this until it happened to me. That said the rescue we got her from was hugely supportive in helping us understand the illness and suggesting resources. Read Less