Positive Parvo test, limited symptoms

Have they tried a second brand of Parvo test?  Maybe they are getting a false positive.

Have they tried putting Panacur/Safe-Guard in the tube feeding to get rid of any possible Giardia?

Gina, I *think* that you will still get a positive test for up to 30 days after breaking with parvo.  I'm pretty sure that they shed the virus for around a month after they recover. 

Bevo had a severe case of parvo as a puppy.  He was transfused, & hooked up to IV fluids for 13 days before his symptoms subsided.  Because I was hell bent on socializing him asap, we parvo tested him 21 days after he left the hopsital to see if he was still shedding the virus.  He was.  We tested again at day 35, & he tested negative.

Shooter had a very mild case, which we treated by using SQ fluids.  He felt great, & came home two days later.  He also tested positive 21 days post treatment.  He was negative at day 28.

Neither of my guys would eat the bland diets that they were offered.  We ended up using boiled chicken & rice to get them eating again.  They may want to consider trying something like Rebound.  It's an electrolyte solution that is chicken flavored.  It seems to be very easy on the tummy, & it might dress up her food enough to encourage her to eat.

They can still shed the virus for many weeks. Even if she is not showing signs, she NEEDS to be treated - because once the parvo takes over, it's very hard to get the dog back. Fluids need to be given daily - even if the dog is drinking.

We had good luck getting our parvo pups to eat using canned cat food, baby food, liverwurst, and other really smelly things. At that point - it doesn't matter WHAT they eat, as long as they eat. Once they start nibbling on things, they will realize how hungry they are - and eat on their own. Dogs are good like that, it's getting them to that point that's hard. Rebound and Recovery are supposed to be good - I've only used Recovery. Nutra-cal supplements are helpful too.

Has she been on antibiotics or appitite stimulants? You could do a round of panacur - but that wont do anything for the parvo. If she has a bacterial infection, she'll need to undergo a round of flagyl treatment or something similar. The panacur doesn't do bacterial infections.

The thing with parvo you have to remember is it's not the virus that kills, it's the deydration from all the diarrhea and vomiting - and left untreated - is deadly.

erica1989

We had good luck getting our parvo pups to eat using canned cat food, baby food, liverwurst, and other really smelly things. At that point - it doesn't matter WHAT they eat, as long as they eat. Once they start nibbling on things, they will realize how hungry they are - and eat on their own. Dogs are good like that, it's getting them to that point that's hard. Rebound and Recovery are supposed to be good - I've only used Recovery. Nutra-cal supplements are helpful too.

  I disagree, except with offering Nutra-cal. Puppies with parvo stop eating because they can't handle food at that point (and often are too weak to eat anyway). Once they start to recover, they tend to start eating on their own.

 I had a litter of six with Parvo last summer. One never developed it but I suspect would have tested positive for it anyway, due to exposure. The first one who became ill before I knew what I was dealing with died within the first day of developing symptoms. The other four recovered, some very quickly with treatment I did at home. They were on Sub-Q fluids several times a day, antibiotics, Vitamin B and Parvaid. I really do believe that Parvaid is a must for treating parvo. The quickest of mine to recover were eating again within the first 48 hours. The puppy who was sick the longest went nearly a week without eating but I did supplement him with Nutrical. It was such a relief when he started to eat again! IMO resting the digestive tract during the worst of the illness is also part of a successful treatment program along. If the puppy is willing to drink on it's own though I would certainly offer broth and for my litter, they had access to broth constantly.

  As for the puppy in question, not sure what to suggest. I suspect she has a rather mild case of parvo since she does have some sypmtoms (loose stool, not interested in food) but it is strange that a mild case would last so long! I know they will still test positive for parvo after they have recovered, for as long as they are shedding the virus (usually 2 - 4 weeks after recovery). I can't recommend Parvaid enough for treating parvo puppies. I would certainly continue treatment until she will eat on her own and her stool firms up. As Erica mentioned, things can get bad quickly with parvo.

but they need nurtients in their body to fight off the disease. without food, they will not regain their strength to fight off the virus.

I've dealth with MANY parvo puppies and adults - and have never lost one, came close - but we pulled them through.

well as I said they ARE tube feeding...she just won't eat on her own. I was thikning she's not ready to...but I will suggest the Rebound in case that hasn't been tried as well, thanks everyone!

 No one mentioned it, but the one thing that many dogs will eat, when they won't touch anything else, is green tripe.  I have more experience with geriatric dogs than with parvo pups, but in my experience, it's the stinkiest food around, and you can easily mix it with Nutrical or any other supplement and it has enough stink that the dog will not mind the other stuff that's going in at the same time;-)  Worth a try.

 Probably by catching it and immediately going NPO, they cut off the worst of the symptoms at the pass.  The length of the illness doesn't depend on treatment.  It depends on the health of the dog, the ability of the immune system to fight it, and the particular strain of virus involved.

So let's say this would have been a normal seven-to-ten day virus.  This pup would have only been going to soft foods in the last few days.

But, the pup has learned to associate the tub feeding with feeling good, versus normal feeding.

I got into something similar with Lynn.  I couldn't get her to eat a homecooked diet for love or money.  She wanted kibble.  Turned out she has gotten most of her nutrition from the trash can and whatever dinner leftovers were thrown to her.  When she got parvo, the only food she wanted was that wonderful kibble she got at the vet when she started feeling better!  LOL
 

Remember Auburn is doing the new parvo treatment (remember Brittainy was treating her LGD and there was a lot of discussion on it then).  She drove over to Auburn if I recall, but I'm sure they'll discuss the procedure with any vet who calls them.  It's pretty cutting edge and has been really successful in dealing with some of the more difficult to treat cases.

erica1989

but they need nurtients in their body to fight off the disease. without food, they will not regain their strength to fight off the virus.

I've dealth with MANY parvo puppies and adults - and have never lost one, came close - but we pulled them through.

 Which is why I said Nutrical is a good option, if the puppy goes days without eating. Fasting tends to be many animal's natural repsonse to illness and IMO with parvo it is the right thing to do. Since diarrhea, vomiting and the dehydration which comes with it is the most common reason puppies die of parvo, it makes sense to allow a fast. The puppies aren't able to properly digest or absorb food at this point anyway and the more food you put in, the more vomiting and diarrhea you will have. Just my opinion of course.

 I don't think I would suggest green tripe for a puppy with active parvo signs because of the effect the virus has on the intestines (and I say this as a raw feeder and someone who weans puppies onto tripe):

"It is in the GI tract where the heaviest damage occurs.  The normal intestine possesses little finger-like protrusions called "villi." Having these tiny fingers greatly increases the surface area available for the absorption of fluid and nutrients. To make the surface area available for absorption greater still, the villi possess "microvilli" which are microscopic protrusions. The cells of the villi are relatively short-lived and are readily replaced by new cells. The source of the new cells is the rapidly dividing area at the foot of the villi called the "Crypts of Lieberkuhn." It is right at the crypt where the parvovirus strikes.

Without new cells coming from the crypt, the villus becomes blunted and unable to absorb nutrients. Diarrhea in large quantities results not to mention nausea. The barrier separating the digestive bacteria from the blood stream breaks down. The diarrhea becomes bloody and bacteria can enter the body causing widespread infection (remember that that virus has simultaneously destroyed the bone marrow's ability to respond immunologically)."  http://www.marvistavet.com/html/how_parvo_infection_happens.html

  Tripe has a high risk for bacteria, such a high risk that it is not allowed to be processed at a facility which processes human food. I do not think it is high risk for normal dogs or puppies because their digestive tracts are well suited for such things. With parvo puppies I feel a bit differently though. The other cause of death in parvo puppies(besides dehydration) is bacterial infection which starts in the intestines and spreads through the body. Infection is able to occur because the virus destroys the intestinal wall. In considering that, I just wouldn't be comfortable putting such a high bacteria load into "ruined" intestines while the puppy is were suffering symptoms or even shortly after the symptoms clear.

 When my parvo puppies started eating, they first ate a Hills prescription canned food form the vet which was very, very bland and very processed for easy digestability. After about a week or so on that, I moved to a better quality "mushy style" canned foods. From there I gradually moved to canned food that was less processed, canned green tripe and finally, about three or so weeks after they last had symptoms they were back on raw food. I may have progressed slower than needed with the food but I wanted to make sure their intestines had been able to heal before giving them "real" food again.

calliecritturs

Remember Auburn is doing the new parvo treatment (remember Brittainy was treating her LGD and there was a lot of discussion on it then). 

Here is a description of the new treatment:  https://www.msu.edu/~silvar/parvo.htm