Gobi and Roxy – Success stories of recovery from Canine Parvo Virus

Gobi (pictured above), an eight month old puppy, came to Harmony Pet Clinic because he has been vomiting and having diarrhea. He was also very low on energy, not playing his usual-self and not eating. Gobi’s owner told that he has been a happy and healthy puppy so far, but suddenly few days ago he started acting sick and kept getting worst. On careful physical exam our veterinarian, Dr Banga, found that Gobi was dehydrated and painful on abdomen. He also had fleas. Gobi never had any vaccine. On further testing it was found that Gobi has Canine Pravo Virus (CPV) infection and also had roundworms.

Few days later Roxy, an eight week old puppy, was presented to the Harmony Pet Clinic for not eating and vomiting. Roxy was also very lethargic. On physical exam Roxy was found to be dehydrated and painful in abdomen but also she was underweight. Roxy had only one set of vaccines and she was too young to get any further vaccination yet. Further testing revealed that Roxy also had Canine Parvo Virus infection and infestation of hookworms.

Both Gobi and Roxy were treated for parvo virus infection with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, antinausea injections and dewormer. While Gobi recovered well in 3 days and went home but the condition of Roxy worsened. After 4 days of hospitalization, she developed severe low blood protein levels (hypoprotenemia) and had swelling on face and tummy.

To help Roxy get her blood protein levels up she was given canine plasma transfusion. After plasma transfusion Roxy started to recover immediately. She spent another 4 days in the clinic for treatment which mainly included antibiotics, dewormer and nausea medicines.

After 8 days of hospitalization and extensive treatment Roxy recovered fully and went home. Before sending Roxy home we made sure that she had no more vomiting or diarrhea and was eating well.

There are some key take home lessons from the Gobi and Roxy’s recovery story:

• – Unvaccinated puppies are susceptible for Canine Parvo Virus infection.
• – Unvaccinated puppies should be vaccinated ASAP and should be protected from virus exposure.
• – Worms are very common in puppies. Commonly seen worms are hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms etc.
• – It is very important to run fecal test to check for worms and deworming puppies multiple times while they are growing and then atleast once a year.
• – Contact us immediately if you see any sign of sickness in your puppy.

Further readings:

Parvovirus: Vaccination and prevention: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951468

Parvovirus: How is happens: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951461