Question:
Hi we purchased a male Shih Tzu Puppy on Sunday Aug 22 which my 4 year old son has named Oliver. On Monday he was fine, eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, playing, and chasing feet. Tuesday he started throwing up and having diarrhea, stopped eating and drinking and became very lethargic. After lunch he passed a worm about 6 inches long in his stool. Luckily I had already made a Vet appointment that afternoon for a check-up and vaccinations. (The vet only comes to our town once a week). At the vets office Oliver layed as still as could be throughout the whole exam. This kind of worried the vet. Since Oliver had a temperature, diarrhea and vomiting he did not vaccinate him. Oliver was put on antibiotics and dewormed. (I had brought the worm with me the Vet said it was a roundworm and was quite concerned by it's large size.) I was told that if he did not start drinking by the next day I would have to bring him to the Vet 2 hours away for an IV. At home we began giving him water with a medicine dropper. He has not thrown up since Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday he finally ate and drank a little in the morning. Passed a couple of dead worms in his stool and walked around a little outside. Now it is Thursday he hasn't eaten since yesterday morning, but is drinking a little on his own. (We are still giving him water from the dropper as well.) He is peeing regularly, has a little bit of energy, but still mostly sleeping.
He has only eaten twice in the past 3 days.Anyway my questions are..........
Could all of this be from the worms?
Is Oliver going to be OK?
Is there anything else I can do for him?
Why is he still so lethargic?
I am just so worried about our poor little puppy. Thanks in advance for any advice, Shelly.

Answer:
I would call your vet and explain what is going on with Oliver. Was he tested for Parvo, I don't mean to alarm you but just to rule things out. I could be from the worms but I honestly don't know so try the vet. It could normal and he is just not hungry. I would get him some pedalytes at the drugstore to keep him from dehydrating and it helps to raise his electrolytes. It may give him a little more energy which in turn may make him hungry and I would try and get some pablum in him or rice and maybe some boiled hamburger. These would not be hard on his tummy.

Answer:
If he still has worms, however, and they're big (or numerous in numbers) he may "feel" full, thus not interested in eating, but is still willing to drink. Either worms or Parvo, touch base with the vet again and get him started on another round of treatment for the worms.

Another question: Where did you buy this puppy that he's laden with worms??

Answer:
We bought him in Prince George. We met the Olivers Mom, Dad, brother and sister at the time of purchase. Everyone seemed to be in good health. I was under the impression that he had been dewormed.But was told up front that he had not had his first shots yet.So I made an appointment for him at the vet right away. Now 4 days after we got him all he seems to do is sleep and pee. I am really worried for him, but so glad that we took him. What would of happened to him if I had left him where he was?

Answer:
My puppy just went through having Parvo and he had all those symptns. Try boiling him some chicken and rice. Cut it up in little bity piece (very small amounts) and see if he will eat that. I would give him Pedialite (spelling) in an eye dropper. (1-2tsp) every hour if he will take it if he wants more you can give him more, do not give him to much or that will make him throw up. Does he still have the poops? (Is there any blood in it)???? Talk to the vet about Parvo (it sounds like it could be not trying to scare you but that is what mine did)

Answer:
Originally Posted by Shelly
We bought him in Prince George. We met the Olivers Mom, Dad, brother and sister at the time of purchase. Everyone seemed to be in good health. I was under the impression that he had been dewormed.But was told up front that he had not had his first shots yet.So I made an appointment for him at the vet right away. Now 4 days after we got him all he seems to do is sleep and pee. I am really worried for him, but so glad that we took him. What would of happened to him if I had left him where he was?

When we found Meat Loaf on the road he was fine for about two days and than I noticed him throwing up watery stuff a few times. And by the end of the day alot of throwing up. He than got the poops that night and he could not even hardly get up. I carried him out to go to the bathroom. So I would get back to the vet! I am so sorry to hear about your puppy. Keep us posted!

Answer:
It sounds like Parvo and worms have the same types of symptoms then. Very scary to not know what's happening to your little sweetie. Whatever the illness, I wish you all the luck in the world!! Please do keep up posted!

Answer:
A sick puppy should always be tested for parvo, even just to rule it out. Personally, I'd take the more aggressive approach and put him on IV Fluids. These little guys can dehydrate quickly due to size and rapidly decline. Especially if your vet is 2hrs away. It would be sad if you had to "rush" him there.

Make sure you are all washing hands etc after handling him. poor little guy.

No shots? The pup should have had his 1st vaccines before leaving the breeder. 8wks is the norm, but they can have vaccines at 6wks. How old is Oliver?

Hope everything works out well for the little guy.

Another example of buyer beware :( God I hate these "breeders"

Answer:
He has not vomited in the last 48 hours. He has also not had diarrhea since he pooped out the two worms 24 hours ago. Then again he hasn't eaten so there wouldn't be anything to poop out would there? I really hope it isn't Parvo. Don't most puppies die from that. Well I am off to make another call to vet. I really wish we had a vet close by. How does the vet diagnose Parvo?

Shelly

Answer:
Well he will be 10 weeks on Friday. He is not dehydrated. I know this by all of the peeing he is doing on the floor. He drinking some on his own, and I am still giving him water from the dropper.

Answer:
To test for Parvo, you need a fecal sample. The feces is mixed with a solution and run through a "test kit". If your vet doesn't keep the test kits in stock, the feces can be sent away.

It's probably not Parvo, worms can make a pup very sick, but I'd test just to rule it out (piece of mind).

If caught early, they have a good chance. Technically it's not the season for Parvo, it normally shows up in spring. But Princess' dog is just getting over Parvo, so the virus obviously doesn't "stick to a schedule". This time of year, there may be weaker strains, which would make recovery better odds.

It sounds as if Olivers on the mend, lets hope. If Iv fluids are not an option at this time, ask your vet about trying him on beef broth or diluted Pedialyte (diluted due to sugar content being high). It has electrolytes, that are lost through dehydration.

Roundsworms are zoonoses, so make sure your son washes his hands.
How old do you suppose Oliver is?

I'm glad he's found a home that cares. Good for you guys.

Answer:
sorry, missed your thread. The breeder should have given him his shots at 8weeks. I'm glad you seem to have a good vet. A good vet won't compromise a sick animals immune system by vaccinating.

Sounds like he's going to be okay, he's lucky your there for him

Answer:
Thank you for your encouraging words and advice. Oliver was born on June 18th. The day before my daughter turned two. And yes I have been washing both of my kids hands after they touch the dog.

Thanks,
Shelly

Answer:
Worms can and will make a puppy sick. Meat Loaf had worms so bad he had to wear diapers becuase the vet would not worm him will he was so sick. Not all puppies die from Parvo, but you are prolly right it is prolly worms. I am praying for you and your little baby I know how hard it is to deal with when your baby is sick. Keep us posted and we are thinking of you during this hard time.

Answer:
You are welcome I'm just glad he's got a good home, regardless of where he came from. happy belated b-day to your daughter

Answer:
Well I tried the boiled chicken suggestion. I boiled up a little bit of chicken breast, cut it up really small and poured some broth over it. Oliver ate it up like there was no tomorrow. I am so glad I finally found something he will eat. The baby fruit, rice, puppy chow, yogurt were all flops. Thanks very much for the chicken suggestion. If he keeps this down I will give him some more in a few hours. The vet dewormed him on Tuesday, and said he should be dewormed again in two weeks does this sound right? Still waiting to hear back from the vet.

Answer:
2weeks sounds right, just to make sure none are missed. Parasites are little buggers.

There are 3 types of Roundworm (ascariasis):
Toxocara Canis (dogs only), Toxocara Leonina(both dogs and cats) and Toxocara cati(cats only)

T-canis can migrate to humans (zoonose) and can be found in the intestines
of a pup 1week after birth. Dormant larvae will migrate from the mother to the developing fetus. Some larvea mirgrate to the mammory gland and infect the pups via milk. So it is possible that the breeder didn't know that the mother was infected, due to the larvae being dormant.
However the breeder should have noticed the pups getting sick!

Answer:
Glad to hear Oliver is eating keep us posted.

Answer:
If you ever find out what your puppy has make sure that you post it. My pup flew up from vancover and has some of your puppies symptoms and more good luck and patience to you and your pup

Answer:
Oliver kept down the chicken I gave him yesterday so I gave him some more last night.He had a poop this morning. There were no worms in it. What are the chances that there were only 3 adult worms in him? So far that is all that have come out, I thought there would of been more. He is still refusing to eat anything else, even chicken broth poured over puppy chow. Should I continue to feed him the chicken? I do not want him to go hungry.

Answer:
it is possible however highly unlikely. keep giving him his meds until they are finished then back to the vet for another test, yes keep giving him the boiled meat and rice, for the rest of the treatment as this will help rebuild his system after being sick

Answer:
Glad to hear little Oliver's eating. Yes, do keep us updated! Thanks for your loving care of him! Have you contacted the breeder to find out if any of the other pups from the litter are having any problems?

Answer:
May I suggest you try feeding your dog one of these brands of food:

Natural Balance
Eagle Pack
Maxima

They are all made with 100% organic food and your dog will love it. Also as a precaution, buy some brewer's yeast tablets and sprinkle a tiny bit in the food every day, it will kill any fleas or worms, honest!

Answer:
Originally Posted by VickyK
Also as a precaution, buy some brewer's yeast tablets and sprinkle a tiny bit in the food every day, it will kill any fleas or worms, honest!

I'd like to try that, but would like some factual data to go with it.

I only ask because it was said that Garlic would also rid dogs of fleas....wives tale.

Answer:
Thank-you everyone. All of your help and suggestions have been wonderful. Oliver is now one very playful puppy, who loves to pull on the leg of your pants. Still having a hard time getting him to eat puppy chow, so I am going to try switching his food to one of the brands that Vicky recommended.

Answer: