Parvo

 

Two of the fluffy ones at the vet today

The puppies came on Wednesday and I didn't think they were eating as much as they should on Thursday.  That continued on Friday and they were less active too, so I was getting worried.  I brought them in to the upstairs bathroom Friday night, made a nice bed in the shower stall and covered the floor with newspapers.  Some of them drank some water but no one would eat.  I gave them some milk and water with an oral syringe and went to bed after 1:00 a.m.  

The runt, smooth coated, smaller but maybe stronger

Saturday morning I found pups who were still lethargic and there was bloody diarrhea on the papers.  I loaded them into a crate in the van and we headed to the vet.  The three white fluffy ones seemed to be the most sick.  When I got to Charlottesville, one of them was near death and we let it go.  One of the other fluffy balls had a high temperature, but the others were close to normal.  The parvo test was positive.  They loaded me up with 4 injectable medications and two bags of saline solution, all to be given 2-3 times a day, subcutaneously. 

I found that another one of the white fluffy pups had expired by the time I got home.  I cleaned the bathroom and started giving the meds.  The toughest part was holding each pup long enough for the fluids to get in.  The little blond smooth one still seems to feel pretty good and the black one too.  The other white fluffy one is still in danger.  They may all be, actually. 

The black one, hanging in there still.

I cooked some chicken and rice, and thankfully Clay got home.  We buried the pup and picked up the deer carcass from the pasture so I could let our guys out to romp again.  It's about time for another round of fluids.  Parvo stinks really bad, and it is hell on puppies. 

{Later}  When we went in for another round of fluids and meds, the third and final fluffy pup had died.  The other two are still holding their own.  The little guy, we are calling the runt, had eaten some of the chiden and rice and had pooped, without a lot of obvious blood, and semi-solid stool.  The black one hadn't eaten, but he was still kicking and he got another 100cc of fluid under his skin.  They both did, giving them both rather decided humps that will dissapate as the fluid is absorbed. 

I buried the other pup who had died and I sure hope that will be the last.