Help! My 6 month old puppy won't eat drink and is very lethargic. i can't figure out what is wrong with him. We live in the country and my cat catches rabbits and squirrel (bird) all the time and sometime the dog eats them. What could be wrong with him?
I have 2 dogs one is a male min-pin chihuahah (spelling?) mix the other is a female beagle basett hound mix. My question is why is my male dog eating my female dogs poop? Is there something I can do to stop him? Thanks
Parvovirus
Is your puppy at risk for Parvovirus?
Parvo is a virus that can survive extreme conditions and live in the soil and environment for years at a time. Parvo is ubiquitous and it is impossible to completely protect your puppy from exposure, but there are many things you can do to limit their exposure to this awful virus. Here is some information that will help give you more insight to this disease and how to protect your pup from getting sick with it.
How do puppies get Parvo?
This virus is hearty, has been in known existence for about 20 + years. It’s hard to disinfect (susceptible to 1:10 bleach solution with water) and it is highly contagious. Bottom line? This disease is everywhere, but can be more prevalent in dog parks, places that house puppies, places where dogs are walked or where they have played. The route of transmission is fecal-oral route. This means a dog has to ingest fecal material from a dog that is infected. This is easier to do than most people think! Remember, this is highly contagious and in most cases, a puppy on need ingest a small portion of infected stool to be exposed. This can happen with a meet and greet interaction between dogs, sniffing and licking rear ends, mouths, sharing water sources. The virus enters through the mouth this way, and can even be as the puppy cleans itself or eats food off the ground or floor. So, you don’t have to see your pup physically eat fecal material to know there is possible exposure. The incubation period is roughly 3-7 days.
Is Parvo only found in puppies?
Puppies are definitely the most common age group found with Parvo. It is rare for an adult dog to be positive for Parvo, but it is possible. Most adult dogs have immunity to this virus because they have been vaccinated as puppies and have a good immune response to this disease. Adult dogs that develop Parvo are usually not current on their vaccines, never received them to begin with or have some decreased immunity due to other disease, such as auto-immune disorders. Puppies that have a few vaccines, but never complete their full vaccination series are still at risk for Parvo. Please see vaccination information below to prevent Parvovirus in your puppy.
Is there a certain time that is more crucial for puppy protection?
Puppies at birth do not have antibodies against disease. They have maternal antibodies they get from their mother that helps protect them initially from disease. They get most of these protective antibodies from nursing their mother’s milk the first few days after they are born. So, why aren’t they protected forever? Gradually, starting around the age of 8-9 weeks, they start to lose these protective antibodies and start making their own. It is critical that you begin booster vaccines on your puppy at this age and continue them every 3 weeks, until they are 16 weeks of age. This is the most critical and susceptible age for Parvo because puppies are at their weakest immunologically, as they are losing maternal antibody production and they are not quite fully protecting themselves yet with their antibodies for vaccination.
We recommend that puppies be restricted from public outdoor areas until their vaccination series is completed at age 16 weeks.
Reducing your puppy’s risk of exposure is the best preventive care along with Parvo vaccines starting at 8-9 weeks or age and given every 3 weeks until they are 16 weeks of age. Please keep in mind that there is about a week somewhere in that time frame in which the puppy has no maternal antibodies and they are not yet responding readily to vaccines.
How does it infect and damage the body?
Parvovirus attacks rapidly dividing cells in the body, which are the lymph nodes, the bone marrow and the gastrointestinal tract. The virus replicates here and then destroys the cells that are needed protection. Parvo basically destroys the immune system that acts to protect the body and it also destroys the gastrointestinal cells that are needed for digestion and protection from other bacteria and toxins. This is where the heaviest damage occurs and sloughing of the GI epithelium occurs, leaving the intestines ulcerated, raw and bleeding, open to infection and toxins. In addition, these pups cannot properly receive nutrients through the digestive tract and lack the energy to fight infection. Parvo usually kills puppies through secondary infection – the virus does the damage to the cells and the body and bacteria kill by invading the body through the gastrointestinal tract and causing sepsis or systemic bacterial infection. These puppies become weak, develop shock and dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea, cannot absorb nutrients and develop severe infection with no way to fight it. All of these factors combined make this disease deadly.
How do we test for Parvo?
The most common clinical sign for Parvo is vomiting and diarrhea, followed by dehydration and inappetance. There is a simple snap test for Parvo that requires a swab of fresh fecal material from a puppy’s rectum. This test is quick and reliable. Puppies also develop a low white blood cell count and we can test for this with a blood test. These clinical signs with diagnostic results help clinch a diagnosis of parvoviral infection. Also, a veterinarian may choose to monitor white blood cell count or even attempt to artificially raise the white blood cell count in an infected puppy through treatment. It is also important to note that other diseases and secondary complications are possible alongside of initial diagnosis of Parvo. Anemia, or low red blood cells can develop with Parvo puppies and blood transfusions are not uncommon. Intussusception, or telescoping of the intestines is a possible condition that can develop in puppies with Parvo. If this is suspected, abdominal radiographs can be performed. Gastrointestinal parasites can also complicate Parvo disease.
How do we treat it?
All of the factors involved in Parvo make it difficult to treat and it is not an inexpensive treatment. The recommended treatment is hospitalization, IV fluids, supplemental electrolytes, parenteral nutrition, antibiotics, anti-emetics, antacids and anti-ulcerative medications, pain medications and GI protectants. Most pups stay an average of 5 days in hospital and it is not uncommon for treatment to cost several hundred to several thousand dollars. Treatment does not guarantee survival, however, and prognosis must be measured on a day to day, sometimes even hour to hour basis. Treatment for parvoviral infection centers on supportive care. There are no anti-viral drugs that can be used, so we must rely on supportive therapy to help through recovery and depend on the patient’s immune system to fight off infection. This is intense treatment and it is not easy to watch a pet be treated for this awful disease. They are often painful, uncomfortable and feel awful. The first 24-48 hours of treatment are usually the most critical in terms of response. Please also keep in mind that oral medication do no good in this scenario because their GI tract is affected and cannot appropriately absorb what they need. Often, they vomit the medication as well. Intravenously administered antibiotics are the treatment of choice in a hospital, critical care environment.
Home Treatment for Parvo
Home treatment for parvo infection is not preferred when compared to hospitalization and intensive care. With home treatment, mortality rises substantially. However, if financial concerns preclude hospitalization, home care may be the puppy’s only chance for survival. This treatment is around the clock and involves fluids given under the skin, constant cleaning and decontamination. Antibiotic injections are usually given in hospital and antibiotics of some kind are sent home with the owner to administer frequently. This care is very involved for an owner at home and is not recommended over hospitalization. It is rare for a puppy to survive Parvo with at home treatment.
Preventing Parvo Disease
Vaccinating Puppies
As mentioned previously, puppies obtain their immunity from their mother in nursing. This protects them from Parvo, however these maternal antibodies also inactivate vaccine.
So, the hard part is knowing when each individual puppy starts losing these maternal antibiodies and become receptive to vaccination. This age is different for every puppy and is impossible to pinpoint. To get around this, we vaccinate puppies in a series, giving a vaccine every 3 weeks until age 16 weeks. By age 16 weeks, we know that maternal antibodies are gone and vaccine should be effective. Please keep in mind that we cannot wait until 4 months of age to vaccinate, this will not adequately protect your puppy. We recommend beginning vaccinations at 8 weeks of age and continuing boosters every 3 weeks until they are 16 weeks of age.
Vaccinating Adult Dogs
We recommend yearly vaccination for adult dogs against Parvovirus. If the vaccine history is unknown, it is recommend to start with the vaccine and give a booster 3 weeks later, then repeat yearly.
My 6 year old cat was treated for tape worms after I saw rice looking worms on her back side-that was about2 1/2 weeks ago.She had a bloody protruding rectum for at least 2 months previous to being treated and it seems to have gotten worse-it looks like blood was driping out of her-not horribly like shes bleeding inturnaly or any thing-but she keeps licking herself as though she is in pain.What could this be? Could she still have worms or hemmeroids(spell?)I just want your opinion on what I'm dealing with.Thank you for your help
My dog does not like to drink water very much. I need some suggestions to get her to drink more. She will eat ice cubes that I put in the water. I thought it might get her to drink the water too but it does not.
Annie is a small Border Collie who came from rescue. The people in rescue thought she was about one year of age but my vet believes she is about three years of age based on the condition of her teeth.
She seems to be in excellent health and eats extremely well and urinates okay. She has never been interested in drinking water even on hot days. I used to add water to her food to make sure she gets enough water but I stopped doing it after a while. She drinks a little from time to time but does not seem comfortable and usually chokes or gags a little when she does drink some. She eats a homemade diet of meat and grains and vegetables and vitamins and supplements. The only other thing to mention is that she usually only has one bowel movement a day and the stool is pretty small although it looks nice and firm and full of bulk. She will pick ice cubes out of the water and eat them but does not drink much water even though I encourage her to do so. Someone suggested a pet water fountain but they are pretty expensive and I don't know if that is the answer either. Thanks for any suggestions you can give me.
I'll be making an appointment with you to bring in Mojo. He is about 7 years old and about 2 years ago started having very watery diarrhea (no blood) deposited in certain parts of the house where we normally often do not go. He also uses the litter boxes when he has more firm stools. We have multiple cats and 3 huge little boxes. No other cat has this issue.
He has been on prednisone and I believe methisazone with really no positive results. He is virtually impossible to pill or use liquid medicine.
Appreciate your thoughts prior to bringing him in to the good doctor.
Hello, I'm a dog trainer and dog lover. My question is why don't more vets reccommend a raw diet for pets? I am pretty shocked if they don't. Some common reasons I've heard is choking and contamination. However, choking is not likely when the right size pieces are chosen, and dogs have been known to even choke on kibble or even Greenies- yet those are still considered safe. With contamination, dogs eat many nasty things and their stomach acids kill most bacteria, as long as you're not feeding non-human quality meat, is this a big issue? It is obviously superior to any commercial diet, in my opinion, especially after all the recalls. Many natural rearing breeders are having great sucess with raw diet an no vaccines. I'm not sure what that would mean to Vets, but to me it's a wonderful thing. Dog food companies have only been around for about 80 years, and have our pets gotten any healthier?
I have a 4 month old Jack-A-Bee named Tootsie. Last night, she got out of bed. She got into the kitchen and ate some leftover tacos (meat, sauce, cheese, Doritos). When I got home from work today she had vomited a lot, which I expected she would since she has never had table scraps. I cleaned her up and took her out where she refused to have a bowel movement (she has yet to do this since this morning and usually has 5-6 a day). She normally pees small amounts about every 1-2 hours. She just squatted on the floor and peed A LOT, I would say 300-400ml. Then as I was cleaning this up, she did the same thing with the same amount of urine (this was within 10 minutes). She always drinks a lot of water and eats small, frequent meals throughout the day. She is drinking about the same amount, but eating a little less than normal for her. She has had her first round of shots, and is supposed to get the 2nd round Saturday. Should I seek medical attention for her?
Hello,
We just took in two small dogs recently (a cairn terrier and bichon frise). They are both 2+ yrs old and close companions. They were crated in their last home, but have not been in our new home over the past 5-6 wks. Over time, we noticed that they started pooping/peeing more and more around the house. We've been traveling a little more than usual as well, and after leaving them with friends on a few occasions they just started marking their territory and pooping all over the place (and just did the same in our house last night). They seem to be acting out and possibly having dietary issues as well (since we started giving them a little bit of new food recently). The terrier threw up while at our friends and there was some grass evidently in his stomach. We noticed that he had eaten a little grass when we took him outside, but did not think that it was enough to get him sick. We always told him to stop as soon as we noticed him eating grass.
We also started feeding them once a day, vs twice a day, since we're gone all day and have not had someone to let them out in the middle of the day.
Do you have any recommendations? We are taking them to a vet for shots and a general look over this week and will ask some more questions then as well. We want to assure that we're doing the right thing for our pooches and not neglecting them in any way.
Finally, do you have any advice on crating?
Thanks for your time!
Jennifer
Hi,
I have two cats, one is 11, and the other is 5. They have both been on Prescription diet CD (they have at one time or another both had bladder infections) We were on this food exclusively until Spring 2007, we moved in with my (ex)boyfriend and his cats ate Iams. With five cats, it was easier to feed all the same. In the Fall I moved in with a roommate, and she had two cats. We fed them something from Purina.
In the Spring of 2008, we moved out on our own. I transitioned the girls to Wellness to promote weight loss in the 5 year old, who is overweight. In the Spring of 09, the 5 year old had a horrible bladder infection. Per vet prescription, both cats are on the CD food. I had been feeding them 1/2 a 5.5oz can twice a day, and 1/4 cup (communal) dry twice a day.
Recently, I went out of town, and my landlord and her partner (who is a vet) feed the girls for me and they put them on a diet! They cut their food intake in half 1/4 a 5.5oz can twice a day, and 1/4 cup (communal) dry once a day. This was towards the end of September 2009. I have been maintaining this diet in hopes that it will benefit my 5 year old.
The past few days, at least three, the 11 year old is vomiting after she eats. The initial time it was a hairball (and that gross sludgy looking stuff that seems to come with the hairball). The last few times, it is undigested food. To make matters worse, she tries to eat it while I am cleaning it up.
Please advice, I am going to try to make an appointment with a vet, but between school, and very recent death (yesterday) in the family (and a funeral to help plan for Friday), time is very scarce this week. Unless it is a possible medical emergency, it would be a great blessing if I could wait until next week. Other than her vomiting after eating, her behavior is normal.
Sorry for the mini-novel, I just wanted you to have as much info as possible.
Thanks for your help, and this great site!
Rox
My dog is a 1 year old pit bull that ate part of a dead deer on Friday. He was sick and throwing up on Saturday. Toaday on Sunday, he has only drank some water and throws some of that up too. He is laying around all day and he usually wants to play and romp around. Can I give him anything like, Tums, Pepto Bismol, etc...?
Thanks for you help...
Tony
Can i use pinesol to clean my floors if i have cats?
Recently, I had a client ask me what the difference is between having one blood work profile done over another. She explained that she had always thought all blood work was the same and tested for everything we need to look at. I explained that this is not the case at all.
Blood work panels can be very simple or very complex. Most basic blood work panels evaluate a CBC (Complete Blood Count) and Chemistry. A CBC looks at white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. This can be particularly effective for evaluating for infection, inflammation, anemia, coagulation problems, blood parasites, hydration and blood volume, in addition to other things. A basic chemistry panel evaluates a few liver enzymes, kidney enzymes, protein levels, glucose levels and that's about it. More thorough panels will also evaluate more liver enzymes, enzymes associated with the gallbladder and pancreas, electrolytes and minerals.
Of course, there are specific blood tests that can just test for something in particular. For example, common blood work tests that we run every day in clinics include a test for Heartworm disease ( a blood borne parasite that migrates to and lives in the heart), Feline Leukemia and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), Pancreatic Serum Lipase tests, Tick borne disease tests. These simple, fast blood tests can help rule out these diseases. Other commonly performed blood work includes specific panels to evaluate metabolic changes and likely endocrine disease. These include blood work to evaluate the thyroid gland, adrenal glands and pancreatic testing. There are even panels that are designed to test for levels of medication in your pet, such as seizure medications. These are often used to follow up on your pet's response to a specific medication.
Keep these tests in mind next time you visit your veterinarian. Blood work is usually recommended once yearly as a screening profile to be sure everything is looking okay with your pet. The type of panel and cost of the panel should be discussed with your vet. Senior or geriatric panels should always be considered with pets as they age. Pre-anesthetic blood work can also add insight prior to surgery and is always recommended.
Let me know if you have specific questions about certain panels or information for pets with obvious clinical signs, such as vomiting or fever. A physical exam and history always aids a veterinarian in making a decision about blood work and helps them pick the panel that will tell us the most about what might be going on with your pet.
So you have some questions about parasites and your pet? That's okay, I'm here to let you know what you need to worry about and what you can relax about.
What most pet owners don't realize is that our pets are exposed to gastrointestinal parasites constantly - they live in the soil, in potted plants, in fecal material, in wildlife (including birds, mice, lizards, etc.) and water sources (even outdoor water bowls, bird baths and ponds). If our pets have exposure, then we, too, have exposure to these microscopic critters...not to mention risk for all pets in the house.
You might be thinking that just because your dog or cat doesn't have diarrhea that they should be parasite free. Not exactly the case. Though common clinical signs for worms and other GI parasites are vomiting and diarrhea, we don't always see these signs with dogs that have parasites. Pets with a higher risk for exposure include dogs that socialize and play with other pets, go to dog parks, hike or camp, dig in the soil.
So, should you run to your vet to get your pet tested? Well, I've certainly given you plenty to worry about, so now let me settle some nerves. Most mild cases of GI parasites are not life threatening, except in the case of young puppies. Extreme cases most always present with clinical signs and you will be able to see a loose stool, at the very least. I definitely see more parasites in dogs than cats, and we screen for some different ones in cats. It is usually adequate to test dogs and cats once a year for GI parasites (as long as they haven't had problems in the past). Dogs that are currently on a heartworm preventive with a dewormer monthly are also less likely to get parasites.And the best news is that for the most part, GI parasites and very treatable with the correct medications.
I always recommend testing puppies, as about 50% of the puppies I test are positive for something. I recommend yearly screenings for other "at risk" pets. If you want to get your dog tested, first ask your vet which parasites are most prevalent in your area. Different areas may require different tests depending on the parasite we are ruling out. A fresh fecal sample is almost always preferred because there is a better chance of recovering parasites. I typically send this sample to the lab to be evaluated for Roundworms, Whipworms, Hookworms, Coccidia and Giardia. Some fecal tests do not test for Giardia, so it is important to make this distinction if Giardia is a common parasite seen in your area.Other fecal tests specifically ignore parasites and look for bacterial overgrowth and have to be run as separate tests. Cats are commonly screened for toxoplasmosis, which is seen routinely in cats and can cause complications with human pregnancy if you are exposed. Tests can range from $30 to $150, depending on which tests your vet recommends.
Other things you should always do to prevent exposure to GI parasites in your pet include washing your hands after handling your pet, using gloves and plastic bags when handling and disposing of fecal material, and trying to refrain from kissing your pet, especially near the mouth and feet. If you are concerned about your pet, talk to your vet about risk factors and what he/she recommends. Let me know if you have any specific questions about fecal testing!
my dog ate a fishing hook how can i get him to throw it up
Hello Dr. Spohn, you have seen my dog Biggie at the Taylor Ranch Vet Clinic. I usually feed him 1/4 cup twice a day. I put hot water and carrots in his morning food and then he just eats dry in the afternoon. Lately, he has had no desire to eat in the afternoon. Sometimes he will eat if I handfeed him or mix hot water in with it. I am just wondering if I am spoiling him. If he doesn't eat, should I just let him skip that meal and not worry about it? Sometimes if he doesn't eat, he will throwup yellow. I am just thinking that he is hot.When I put his dinner down, he hides under the bed. He is still very active and drinking water and eating his breakfast. By the way, he is a Shih Tzu and he is 4 years old.
Thank You!
my maltese keeps getting sick and pooping everywhere and he wont stop licking things, what should i do for him?
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Questions Answered By:
Dr. Lauryn Spohn, DVM
