Chief is sick...Update, he has parvo. (Ratsicles)

Finally, a doctor making some sense of it all......thanks...

 Excellent example with the meningitis Kelly.

janet_rose

The ratio is 1:10 bleach to water.

thanks, that's what I thought. I didn't want to get it wrong... we have a measuring cup at work, so I rarely think about the amounts...

ottoluv

There is a significant amount of medical misinformation in this thread that directly contradicts medical fact in regards to appropriate vaccination and treatment in the face of high risk exposure .

I started a new thread for discussing vaccination theory:

http://forum.dog.com/forums/p/67638/526854.aspx#526854

ETA:  I requested that this new thread be closed.  Mis-communication quickly degenerated into "strange" posts on and off thread.

Brittany, please be sure that all of your dogs have been vaccinated for adrenovirus.  That vaccine cross-protects against hepatitis which can be carried by coyotes.

http://icwdm.org/handbook/carnivor/Coyotes.asp

Distemper, hepatitis, parvo virus, and mange (caused by parasitic mites) are among the most common coyote diseases. Rabies and tularemia also occur and may be transmitted to other animals and humans. Coyotes harbor numerous parasites including mites, ticks, fleas, worms, and flukes.

So sorry to hear about little Chief. I will keep the little guy in my prayers that everything turns out well for him. Stay strong, Brit - you can do this!!

I'm only passing on what I have learned from MY vets -- not just my holistic vet but my regular vet and also information that I've gotten at seminars up at Gainesville at the vet school.  I've been told repeatedly it takes up to 3 weeks to fully develop immunity. 

I would tell Brittany to ask her vet, or to call the vet school in Georgia and ask them. 

Beyond that I'm not going to say anything further and be any sort of target.  Medical opinion is at the base of this, but apparently some folks think that the only ones right are the ones they learned from.  "medical opinion" is a vast subject -- and it has to do with how medical fact is interpreted. 

I listen to what MY vets tell me.  I never ever have said not to take the dog to the vet.  I do know the lengths that shelter workers and vet workers near me go to in order to not spread parvo. 

This article supports the idea that a dog incubating parvo should not be vaccinated with a MLV vaccine (due to immunosuppression problems).  I wonder if a killed virus vaccine would be OK.  Does there currently exist a killed-virus parvo vaccine (one without other vaccines)?

http://www.chromadane.com/VARGASeriesArticles.htm 

Vaccinations For the New Puppy
by Susan Thorpe-Vargas, Ph.D. (doctorate in immunology)

One of the most controversial issues in veterinary science today concerns vaccinations. ...

Vaccine Failure (about 3/4 down the page)

It may require one to two weeks or more to develop an effective immune response after a course of vaccination. If the animal is exposed to an infectious agent prior to vaccination or shortly after, the vaccine will not have had time to induce immunity and the animal will develop clinical signs of the disease.  This also will occur if the animal was incubating the disease at the time it was vaccinated. In fact, the modified live vaccines can cause something called immunosuppression, so vaccinating an animal that already is sick only will make matters worse.  Canine parvovirus, canine distemper and the use of polyvalent vaccines that contain these attenuated viruses have been implicated in inducing immune dysfunction.

Note: Human vaccines for meningitis currently only exist for bacterial meningitis - not viral meningitis. 

huskymom

Callie, respectfully, is it ok for you to post the herbals here?  I always see you tell people to pm you, but honestly, I wanna know too.  I'm sure most of us would like to.  We are all sitting here worried beyond belief for Brittany, and Chief, and Punchy.  Chiefs been with us since he was a tiny baby... 

I don't think I've ever said this before but no, I'm not going to post anything here.  I hate being a target, and I have no intention of derailing this thread further.

The reason I always ask people to PM me is simply this -- herbs ARE medicine.  They can be dangerous in the fact that people tend to assume that since you can pull them off a shelf they aren't strong and therefore you can take lots, do lots or here this looks good too.  Therein lies danger. 

You have to know the side effects of what you are using, you have to know everything the dog is taking, and breeds and I can't possibly cover all that with everyone reading it.  so I try really hard not to just put something out there that a lurker is going to take and think they can 'add to' whatever else they have going on.  You either have to be very careful and educate yourself on the topic and get vet help where needed or if you are in doubt. 

 Usually in a PM or a phone call I can help someone find a holistic vet near them or point them to various written sources that will give them the extra information they need without being fearful that someone is going to take information and apply it unwisely.  It's obvious I'm not allowed to really respond here -- it's predictable and it's tiresome when my only intent is to be cautionary.  I feel a bit beat up ... sorry. 

Admin Note...

If members would like to discuss the pros/cons of medical advice on the internet, I encourage them to start a new thread.  This thread will remain on topic - Chief having parvo.   

Another parvo treatment, but I have no idea how to obtain this IgG.

http://www.msu.edu/~silvar/parvo.htm

A new therapy developed at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, Alabama, allows tremendous cuts in cost and time required to treat dogs showing signs of parvovirus infection.  The usual $500-800 in medication and supportive care and seven-day hospital stay can now be sliced in half, while reducing mortality from 16 to 10 percent.

The new approach involves injections of lyophilized canine immunoglobulin (Ig) G which has been extracted from the serum of dogs that have recovered from parvovirus infection.  In clinical trials, patients receiving this IgG in addition to regular treatment recovered more quickly than dogs not receiving the IgG.  Furthermore, none of the IgG patients required IV nutrition, hetastarch, or plasma transfusion. 

Any Updates Brittany?  Hows he doing?  Keeping fingers crossed. 

Hey guys. Sorry I don't have time to respond in depth to everything in the thread. We're getting ready to go visit Chief and we just found out the clinic closes at noon today so we're having to rush, and after that I have a doctors appt of my own. This afternoon or evening I'll sit down and really respond. Thanks so, SO much to everyone who is taking the time to research stuff and post info. I really appreciate it.

I spoke with the vet and they said that Chief had an okay night. He got up and went outside and peed on his own this morning, which is good because he wasnt wanting to stand at all yesterday if you didn't make him. As long as he stays on the fluids, he will probably pull through. 

I just wanted to say to those who have a problem with the info Callie is posting...that's fine. If you want to offer dissenting opinions, start a new thread or PM me if you have something you really want to tell me. As it is, I HUGELY respect Callie and Janet- they have helped me with alot of things in the past and neither of them have ever steered me wrong, and I trust their advice. I'm respectfully asking that this thread remain on topic...the fact that Chief is sick.

Callie, I would hugely appreciate it if you would PM me some stuff I could do for Punch to help boost his immune system. I'm confidant that Chief is going to pull through, but worrying about Punchy is just terrifying. I'm not handling well the fact that i have to sit around for the next several days waiting for him to get sick. I hate this, and I want to do anything I can to help him fight this off.

Thanks again everyone who is trying to help and to everyone who is offering well wishes. Like I said, I'll respond to the stuff people have posted later on this afternoon.

Willow and I are praying for Chief and hoping for his speedy recovery. 

 Wishing Chief the best and a speedy recovery.  Get well Chief!