Dog Heartworm Treatment

I just recently got a 10 week yellow lab on 2/4/09 and we had him for a week now. I just had his 2nd shots on 2/5/09, then de-wormed him on 2/7/09. Also, the breeder was 2 weeks late on his second set of shots.
Last night he started to have 100% diarrhea, then it transferred into 90% mucus and 10% wet solid stool. Today he is starting to vomit yellow fluids, and his fecal matter is back to normal, but still slightly wet. He is not lethargic as he still plays with his toys and us. I cut out his old food(Puppy Chow-Vet recommended it) and I am now giving him rice/chicken till his stool becomes regular. In addition, my girlfriend and I are giving him Pedialyte every 20 mins. I am bringing him to the vet tomorrow, and we are just taking all precautionary methods just in case for the worst news. We’re first time dog owners and we are slightly inexperienced with this stuff. My concern is that he is developing a new symptom everyday and none of them seem to simultaneously. Lastly, he has a fever that seems to leave and come back….
Any suggestions or personal experiences or help of any kind would be greatly and deeply appreciated.
Thanks in advance

I got a 12 week old puppy from the human society yesterday and they gave him a parvo shot along with his other normal puppy shots (?) and a heart worm shot. We got him home and the first hour or so he was very playful and energetic but after that he slept the rest of the day. He only ate and drank very little. During the night he threw up 2-3 times and has no other symptoms. This morning we to him to the Vet and they did a feces parvo test. It came back positive. We took him back to the humane society but they told us the parvo shot can cause the (false) positive test results. I called another animal clinic, for a second opinion, and they agreed with the humane society in that it could be just the shots effecting him and that a false positive on the parvo test is likely.
I have searched the internet and I can’t find any information on the false positive after the shots. If anybody has any information please let me know. For now we are keeping him for a couple of days to see how he feels or acts. I really want to save this dog but don’t have the money for parvo treatment.
Thanks for your help.

My friend in the apartment’s I live in told me this puppy wouldn’t leave her doorstep and once I saw it I fell in love and took it home with me. The problem? The puppy looked like he was fat, but instead we realized he was bloated. He’s had diarrhea since he’s been here, the last two day’s. He’s got worm’s, but not to the extreme and he won’t eat like he did the first day we got him. He seem’s to have all of the symptoms. I’m sad, because if he dies he will have been the 3rd puppy we’ve had to die from Parvo, in the past year. If he has Parvo what can you recommend? I don’t want him to die, but I’ve done some research and it seem’s it’s not curable. I cannot afford a vet, especially right now. And another quick question…..Why do people take puppies/dogs to Wal-Mart and give them away knowing they are sick with this disease or worm’s? That’s sad, because I have children, that don’t know yet, but will eventually. Help?

I have a 13 week old Shih Tzu puppy. We got him 9 days ago. He had his first shots on May 8 by the breeder’s vet. I just gave him his second shot last night. I bought the vaccine (Duramune Max 5 Cv-k) at a feed store. I had called our vet locally and they wanted $58 (to be seen and for the vaccine) so I thought I’d save some money and do it myself which I have done Several times with my dogs as well as my mom’s dogs. I have however, never had a small breed. I had read before hand not to give Lepto to small dogs or puppies, so I skipped that and thought this shot would be ok. Puppy has been fine up until a few hours ago when he vomited yellow liquid, no food in the vomit. He has seemed a little less energetic today, but not lethargic or anything. He is still cheerful, and playing, just a little more sleepy and not as crazy bouncy. He’s playing with a squeeky toy right now. Anyways, I freaked out thinking that maybe he is having a reaction to his vaccine. His stool is still normal, and he hasn’t vomited again. It has been a few hours since he vomited. I did start him on Pedialyte just to help him out a bit. I called our emergency vet and they wanted to see him/test him for Parvo at a cost of almost $300 so I decided to wait to see if he vomited again or got diarhea…so far so good. Does this mean that his vommiting (one time) was just a freak thing? There was nothing in his vomite (like paper or chunks of anything that would make me believe he ate something) he has been wormed (once by the breeder’s vet)….Am I just freaking out? If it was Parvo would he have gotten worse by now? He hasn’t been anywhere (not even in our backyard) because we were waiting until he got more vaccines. He is trained to go on his puppy pads….I’m just wondering if I am being to laxed about this?? I just don’t want to jump the gun and spend at least another $300 if it’s really not necessary, but I don’t know much about the onset of Parvo…

Reform of a question; Someone said earlier that it could be parvo?
Just today, my puppy has loose stools. It also had some pink stuff in it, and it smells awful. He also is pooting, and it smells awful! It was probably something he ate. Should i just wait a few days, and see if it goes back to normal? He just got a worm test 2 1/2 weeks ago, and it was negative, so it’s not that.
Well, it wasnt blood in the stool. It was just something pink. He just had his last set of shots/worm test 2 1/2 weeks ago, so he shouldnt have any problems.
He is acting pretty normal, we went and had a good an hour and 1/2 excersise today, and he did fine. He is eating, and playing with his toys. I think it’s just that he ate something funny, because i find all sorts of stuff , that he gets into, that i didnt know was on the floor. I see if it passes though.
I found this on a website
Two forms of CPV have been identified: diarrhea syndrome and cardiac syndrome.
Diarrhea syndrome, or enteritis, has an incubation period of five to fourteen days. Dogs with enteritis act like they are in extreme pain. Early symptoms are depression, loss of appetite, vomiting, high fever, and severe diarrhea. Feces can be either grayish or fluid and bloody. Rapid dehydration is a danger, and dogs may continue to vomit and have diarrhea until they die, usually three days after onset of symptoms. Others may recover without complications and have no long-term problems. Puppies can die suddenly of shock as early as two days into the illness.
The second form of CPV is cardiac syndrome, or myocarditis, which can affect puppies under three months old. There is no diarrhea because the virus multiplies rapidly in muscle cells of the immature heart. Puppies may stop suckling and then collapse and die within minutes or days. No effective treatment is available for cardiac syndrome, and surviving puppies may have permanently damaged hearts.
The initial diagnosis of CPV can usually be made by a veterinarian after observing the dog’s symptoms; however, vomiting and diarrhea can be caused by a number of diseases. The rapid spread of illness in a group of dogs is another indication that CPV may be the culprit. A more definitive diagnosis of CPV can be made by testing feces for the virus, either at the veterinarian’s office or through an outside laboratory.
Treatment for CPV should be started immediately. Hospitalization is necessary, except in relatively mild cases. Dogs must be kept warm. Dehydration is treated by replacing electrolytes and fluids and controlling vomiting and diarrhea. Antibiotics are used to prevent secondary infections. No drug is yet available that will kill the virus.
The easiest way to prevent CPV in adult dogs has been through annual vaccinations, although increasingly, veterinarians are recommending that vaccinations be administered every three years. Puppies need a series of booster shots, because of uncertainty about when maternal immunity wanes and the time the vaccine can provide puppies with their own immunity. This may be as early as six weeks of age or as late as fourteen weeks of age. If there is still a high level of maternal antibody present in the puppy, it will interfere with a vaccination. Veterinarians recommend that puppies get boosters every three weeks until they are sixteen weeks old, and they should be kept separate from unvaccinated dogs. Vaccinations given to puppies as well as adults also protect against other serious canine diseases like distemper, infectious hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, and coronavirus.
Parvo vaccinations are usually required for participation in puppy obedience classes and for boarding your dog at kennels. A vaccination does not guarantee that your puppy will be safe from the virus, but it’s good protective insurance.
A parvo-infected dog can shed the virus in his feces, which makes him extremely contagious to other dogs. The following precautions will help prevent the spread of this disease.
· Keep the dog isolated from all other dogs for at least a month after recovery.
· Pick up all the dog’s stools in your yard.
· Use chlorine bleach and water to clean food and water bowls. Wash the dog’s bedding in bleach and hot water. Disinfect all areas that the dog has been in, including linoleum floors, crates, etc.
· If you have any other dogs who are two years old or younger, or who have not had parvo vaccinations, take them to your veterinarian immediately for a booster shot.
· Feed your dog a bland diet until he recovers. Reintroduce regular food slowly.
A healthy puppy or adult dog should never be allowed contact with the feces of other dogs when walking or playing in public. Dispose of waste material properly and try to keep lawns, sidewalks, and street gutters clear of feces from neighborhood dogs.
My dog doesnt have barely any of the symtoms. His stool isnt bloody or gray. He is still eating, and he