# Parvo?



## Stacy Fleming-Walker (Oct 9, 2010)

I just nursed an ACD pup through Parvo. I have been feeding raw for years, but have recently been told that because dogs who have had Parvo tend to have weak immune systems their whole lives, that I should not feed raw as the body can't handle it. Any thoughts on this?

I have been toying with the idea of dog food for a while for convenience, so it wouldn't be an awful thing but I would drive me nuts trying to find the right one. My trainer recommends Diamond Naturals, but who knows what I would feed.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Every breeder in this yard has had parvo Stacy. That is about 15 dogs. None went to the vet. I feed 10 lbs of raw chicken a day plus kibble free fed. Bear in mind, they say that inbred dogs have weaker immune systems and as tight as my dogs are none needed vet care. All the pups have a strong immunty to parvo. No dog here has been to a vet and the last one died at 14 1/2. No dog here has had more than 2 sets of vaccinations in their life. What I am saying, I feed a lot of raw, all dogs have had parvo and are also very tightly bred and they usually go about 14 years with no vet care. Doesn't sound to me like they are weaker.


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## Stacy Fleming-Walker (Oct 9, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback. My vet came to the house did some injectable meds and we did subQ fluids for two days and he is completely back to normal. I have never been through Parvo, so needed feedback from someone who had.


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## Jonathan Katz (Jan 11, 2010)

This is so interesting. The only one of my dogs that can't eat raw was a parvo-puppy. Thanx for the info!


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

That sounds pretty mild for a parvo case, you're lucky and you probably caught it fast.

I can't see why the bacteria from a raw diet would be detrimental any more than kibble - sure it has bacteria in it but once the pup is back to normal it's immune system should kick back in to kill it anyway. But I don't feed raw, maybe someone else can chime in.


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## Stacy Fleming-Walker (Oct 9, 2010)

I thought it was quick too...he hadn't had any vaccinations and is almost 6 months old. I was totally on top of treatment and the lack of stress by staying in his own home probably helped his recovery time. Maybe it was because he is a bit older. I don't know what it was, but I am thrilled he is back to normal.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Stacy Fleming-Walker said:


> Thanks for the feedback. My vet came to the house did some injectable meds and we did subQ fluids for two days and he is completely back to normal. I have never been through Parvo, so needed feedback from someone who had.


I have no idea what the vet did or how your dogs are going to react. Just my experience. He may know something I don't know but if the immune system is weaker I tend to think he may know something about the meds he injected the dog with. Before I disregarded what he said I woild find out what he gave the dog.


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## Adam Swilling (Feb 12, 2009)

My GSD had parvo got parvo at 8 weeks. He's now 108 pounds at 2 1/2 years old and half of his diet is raw. Don't buy into everything you hear about weaker immune systems. He was at the vet for a week and they told me the same thing; weaker immune system, will have to eat certain diet, blah, blah, blah.


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## Stacy Fleming-Walker (Oct 9, 2010)

My vet is not anti the raw diet, nor was he the one to advise me about changing the dog to dog food. 

He gave him simple meds, reglan for nausea, penicillin, and an anti-medic as well. Since he is keeping the bland food down he is now on an oral antibiotic for any remaining infection  48 hours ago I thought he was going to die, and now he is back to driving me insane....


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## Stacy Fleming-Walker (Oct 9, 2010)

Adam Swilling said:


> My GSD had parvo got parvo at 8 weeks. He's now 108 pounds at 2 1/2 years old and half of his diet is raw. Don't buy into everything you hear about weaker immune systems. He was at the vet for a week and they told me the same thing; weaker immune system, will have to eat certain diet, blah, blah, blah.


Thanks for the feedback Adam. I really have NO experience with Parvo, so need all the advice I can get :razz:


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## Kerry Foose (Feb 20, 2010)

Stacy Fleming-Walker said:


> My vet is not anti the raw diet, nor was he the one to advise me about changing the dog to dog food.
> 
> He gave him simple meds, reglan for nausea, penicillin, and an anti-medic as well. Since he is keeping the bland food down he is now on an oral antibiotic for any remaining infection  48 hours ago I thought he was going to die, and now he is back to driving me insane....


How was the pup diagnosed? IMHO, if there were no testing done and it is speculative, I am not buying the parvo story with that onset and that recovery time frame...shrug...but I'm no vet...just seen many cases over my years and never heard of such a scenario.
I also agree with the poster who said don't believe everything you hear on the immune system and feeding raw...if it were me I would be thinking the polar opposite. Sacked dog feed leaves a lot to be desired in the reliability department for me...raw is what it is - no question or doubt as to its content and viability.
Just my thoughts.... good luck


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## Gina Pasieka (Apr 25, 2010)

Two days and nearly back to normal sounds very odd for parvo. Did they do the fecal test to confirm it? With any intestinal disturbance, I would not feed raw at least for the next few weeks, but I don't see a reason to withhold it in the future. He will need time to repopulate the cells that line his intestines and his immune system, but afterwards he should be fine.Your dog will tolerate it or he won't...only one way to find out.


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## Stacy Fleming-Walker (Oct 9, 2010)

Kerry Foose said:


> How was the pup diagnosed? IMHO, if there were no testing done and it is speculative, I am not buying the parvo story with that onset and that recovery time frame...shrug...but I'm no vet...just seen many cases over my years and never heard of such a scenario.
> I also agree with the poster who said don't believe everything you hear on the immune system and feeding raw...if it were me I would be thinking the polar opposite. Sacked dog feed leaves a lot to be desired in the reliability department for me...raw is what it is - no question or doubt as to its content and viability.
> Just my thoughts.... good luck


He was diagnosed with a fecal snap parvo test. When I initially called the vet, I thought the dog had a blockage because he refused food and couldn't keep anything down because of the vomiting. He had diarrhea a a day or so prior to the vomiting, but nothing crazy. Because of his age, and the fact that Parvo has been running rampant around here lately (and the fact that I do volunteer work as a trainer at a shelter), they decided to test. He did the snap Parvo test.

Stacy


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## Gina Pasieka (Apr 25, 2010)

Stacy, you were lucky to have such a mild case. Probably helped that he is a little older as well...more reserves. Best wishes for a speedy recovery :grin:


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Glad your pup made it through. It certainly can get ugly...as far as what to feed, parvo virus attacks rapidly growing cells, such as the lining of the GI tract. I am not sure if one could say one way or the other absolutely do or do not feed raw to a dog who has recovered from parvo months on down the line. But either a homecooked food, canned food, or a dry food with a simple ingredients list (California Natural or Wellness Simple Food Solutions) is probably not a bad idea until he recovers for a few weeks and the stools are normal. Ask your vet about probiotics to help restore the flora of the gut. You can try yogurt (likely best if you can culture and make it yourself), but Iams Prostora and Purina Fortiflora are other options as probiotic supplements.


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

Interesting stories, It's been a long time since I've seen parvo..in the late 80's when we were in the north.

Pups would die in about 4-5 days, whole litters and in different areas that had never been used before for dog yards. The biggest thing seemed to be dehydration and no will to eat.

I have a pic from that era of 2 nurses at a nursing station trying to keep someones pup alive..iv ringers, but didn't work. Could the disease have gotten weaker or are people confusing parvo with something not as serious ?


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

Gerry Grimwood said:


> I have a pic from that era of 2 nurses at a nursing station trying to keep someones pup alive..iv ringers, but didn't work.


Pic of a pic on the wall, shitty but you can see it at least.

http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac13/ggrimwood/Aklavik.jpg


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## Adam Swilling (Feb 12, 2009)

Gerry Grimwood said:


> Interesting stories, It's been a long time since I've seen parvo..in the late 80's when we were in the north.
> 
> Pups would die in about 4-5 days, whole litters and in different areas that had never been used before for dog yards. The biggest thing seemed to be dehydration and no will to eat.
> 
> I have a pic from that era of 2 nurses at a nursing station trying to keep someones pup alive..iv ringers, but didn't work. Could the disease have gotten weaker or are people confusing parvo with something not as serious ?


 It's usually the dehydration that does them in. I think it's a combination of things that seem to be boosting the survival rate a little. One, people know more of what to look for now. I had seen parvo enough when I worked for a vet in high school that I knew what it was before the diarrhea started; I caught it early. Two, I've seen the treatment get more aggressive over the last few years, at least with the vets I know. Thirdly, parvo is a virus; it can mutate over time. It's entirely possible that we are seeing a weaker strain over the last couple of years and if that's true, that's great. That sure beats seeing it mutate into a stronger strain.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Adam Swilling said:


> It's usually the dehydration that does them in. I think it's a combination of things that seem to be boosting the survival rate a little. One, people know more of what to look for now. I had seen parvo enough when I worked for a vet in high school that I knew what it was before the diarrhea started; I caught it early. Two, I've seen the treatment get more aggressive over the last few years, at least with the vets I know. Thirdly, parvo is a virus; it can mutate over time.


And in fact, don't some researchers think that canine Parvovirus came from mutated feline distemper virus?

I think you're right about that combination. When the epidemic swept across the world, it was an unidentified disease. Even though it took less than a year to develop a vaccine, it was well into the 80s before the information about the disease, the extreme hardiness of the virus, the speed of the disease's course, the symptoms, the vaccine, etc., was really common knowledge.

JMO.


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## Mary Buck (Apr 7, 2010)

I have fed raw for about 20 years . For an immune compromised dog I would want the best nutritiion I could get. I would still feed raw. 
That said ...there are a bunch of way better kibbles on the market now...freeze dried food, dehydrated food ...lots more options than way back when, when Science Diet was the fancy schmandy diet du jour. 

For my nearly 14 yo GSD I take the raw food and pop it in the crock pot. Its got ground bone in it...so finely ground that cooking it doesn't matter .


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Mary Buck said:


> I have fed raw for about 20 years . For an immune compromised dog I would want the best nutritiion I could get. I would still feed raw.
> That said ...there are a bunch of way better kibbles on the market now...freeze dried food, dehydrated food ...lots more options than way back when, when Science Diet was the fancy schmandy diet du jour.
> 
> For my nearly 14 yo GSD I take the raw food and pop it in the crock pot. Its got ground bone in it...so finely ground that cooking it doesn't matter .


I've fed raw for a long time, too, and I've also done home-cooked for immune-compromised dogs. Just my personal POV that I'd rather know first-hand exactly what I'm giving a recovering pup, but of course you are right that there are many more good commercial options these days. 

The calcium in home-cooked boneless can also be provided via supplementing. Calcium is of course critical (and especially for a growing dog), including neither under- NOR over-supplying it. (That is, balanced commercial diets or balanced raw diets based on RMBs would not have calcium supplements added.) 

1/2 teaspoon of ground eggshell per pound of boneless food would supply the calcium at the right ratio.

To the O.P., I also have some very good cooked-diet material saved if you want it.


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