Question:
I have been reading your posts over the last two days, and I appreciate your advice so far. We recently bought two Rat Terrier puppies they are now eight weeks old. The boy (Rascal) is larger, and was full of life until a couple days ago. He couldn't hold water down, and this morning, he is a bit dehydrated. I called our vet, yesteday, and I will be taking him there, shortly, when the cliic opens. He said he thinks it is Parvo. I looked up Parvo, and it says that it hurts the lining of the intestine. Do you think it would hurt if I gave him some
Aloe Vera in a liquid form to drink? We Buy some that tastes almost like water. It has been hard to get the puppy to take the Pedialyte, because of the taste. I have been doing about one teaspoon per hour.

Answer:
Parvo is an extremely serious, life-threatening and highly contagious disease and if one puppy has it, it's the likely the other puppy will too.

The Pedialyte is probably o.k., but I would not give the aloe vera. Your vet will put the puppy on supportive care as soon as he gets there.

Where did you get these puppies? You should tell whoever it is - pet store or backyard breeder - about this.

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I am so sorry to hear about your baby. Let us know what the vet says and how things are going. You are in my thoughts. I am so sorry! :(

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You probably know this by now but other pup should be treated as well as a precautionary measure. Our previous dogs had parvo and did survive but it went through all 3 of them. Adults is not life threatening but for a pup it is.
I hope everything is going well for your babes. :(

Answer:
Oh dear I'm so sorry to hear this :(

I hope the vet can help provide you with enough information to give the appropriate supportive care.

Make sure they don't go hypoglycemic or dehydrate
Pedialyte and soft foods, even jars of baby food fed a little at a time.
If they're not drinking the pedialyte you may have to get an eye dropper and drip it in their mouths, trickling it in at the sides so they swallow it.
You can freeze it as well and let them chew on the ice cubes.

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I hope all goes well for both of your puppies.

Please post again if Parvo was confirmed. Or anything else for that matter,

Once parvo is suspected, Nothing by mouth! , no food or water...get to your Vet Pronto and Please use due care in not exposing any other canine. Incubation time from exposure is 7 to 14 days..dogs can shed the virus long before symptoms appear. Parvo is a nasty virus...

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We recently bought two Rat Terrier puppies they are now eight weeks old
How old were they when you brought them home?

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Thanks for all your concern. We took them both to the vet this morning. Rascal had a temp of 104F, but fortunately he had not gotten very dehydrated. He received an antibiotic shot, and a steroid. Dolly was fine, and the vet went ahead and gave her her eight week puppy shots. So, hopefully, if she does get it, it will be a milder form. At least I will know what to expect, and maybe will catch it sooner. Rascal seems much better this evening, even trying to play a little, though it exhausts him. I think the worst is over for him.
They were only five weeks old when we bought them from a backyard breeder. I'm afraid they were weaned too young.
When should I start to feed him? He already tried to get into the puppy food this evening. It was the first time he has shown interest in food for 4 days. Is baby food better than puppy food? I had also heard about rice. Is that a good idea? We go back to the vet in the morning for another checkup.
I will let you know. I do appreciate the advice.

Answer:
The pups must not have parvo or the vet would have kept them. If the vet just now gave them a 8 week vax PLEASE do not believe they are protected from parvo yet! One vaccination does not give them the protection. Vaccines are designed to build a bodies own immunity against a virus. The timing between the final 2 vax's is crucial.
I have seen countless people taking their puppies out in public to dog parks or to PetSmart after the first vax and then they can't understand how the pup came down with parvo. Limit exposure until at least 3 weeks after the final vax. Believing any animal is protected after only one vax is a false sense of security.

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