These healing parvo webpages are the beginning of numerous pages to come, in my "spare" time (yeah right!). We are not veterinarian's, but we have worked with many parvo puppies. Many have asked for us to put together helpful ideas, thoughts, and experience in healing parvo puppies. As such, this is the beginning of our parvo puppy information. Please check back for updates that are sure to come in the future.

Parvo is a disease of puppies. In the past 9 years, dealing with over 20,000 parvo puppies, ALL have been 15 months of age or younger, EXCEPT 2 that I am aware of. One was 6 years old and did not have a definitive parvo diagnosis from a vet, so it is possible this one may have had coccidia, campylobacter, or something else.

We have personally helped 46 out of 47 parvo puppies heal themselves with natural remedies, mainly Paxxin (formerly Parvaid) and Colloidal Silver (actually, NOT Colloidal Silver, but Electrically Isolated Silver). We just had the pleasure of helping a 4 lb. Chihuahua named Zoey recover from parvo. She went home with her family after being with us for 48 hours happy, healthy, and parvo free. :-) Via phone, we work with many more parvo puppy owners and veterinarians 365 days a year.

Topics covered on our Healing Parvo Puppies at Home Page 1 are:

• Is It Really Parvo?
• Will My Vet Administer Paxxin?
• Home Treatment
• Temperature
• Hydration & Hydration Methods
• Antibiotics
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Lethargy
• Enemas ~ Oh My!
• Treating A Litter of Parvo Puppies
• Think Good Thoughts

Our Healing Parvo Puppies at Home Page 2 has the following parvo topics:

• How Did My Puppy Get Parvo?
• Vaccinations & Parvo
• What about Parvoguard?
• What about Tamiflu?
• Why Does Paxxin Work?
• Preventative Treatment for Parvo
• Will My Puppy Get Parvo Again?
• Disinfecting
• After Recovery
• What Should I Feed My Parvo Puppy?
• Parvo Stress
• Parvo Consultations

Oops, and can't forget our DISCLAIMER: This information has not been approved by the FDA or AVMA. We are NOT veterinarians. This info has been gathered and based on our parvo puppy experience working personally with 47 parvo puppies, along with relayed information and experience with thousands of parvo puppy guardians all over the globe. 5 of these were our own puppies and 42 were parvo puppies that people brought to us to help them heal.

The following material is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a trained veterinarian. This information is not intended as a substitute for your independent judgment and personal responsibility. Health issues are far too important to delegate to anyone else, ESPECIALLY dis-eases that can terminate the life of your beloved companion. It is highly recommended you seek information and counsel from as wide a variety of sources as possible, as in the end YOU make the decisions.

THE SIMPLE BASICS ARE IMPORTANT

IS IT REALLY PARVO? ~ There are many dis-eases that can mimic parvo. Some of these diseases are viral, some bacterial, others are worms or protozoan. Here is a partial listing of dis-eases that mimic parvovirus:

• Campylobacter aka "Campy" or Campylobacteriosis Jejuni Parvo or is it Campylobacter?
• Coccidiosis aka "Cocci" or Coccidia (single celled organism - protozoa)
• Coronavirus
• Distemper aka Hardpad Disease (exhibits upper respiratory symptoms)
• Giardiasis aka Giardia (single celled organism - protozoa (trophozoites))
• Food Poisoning (i.e., salmonella)
• Poisoning (non-food; i.e., antifreeze, drugs - i.e., wormers)
• Intestinal Blockage (i.e. from consuming foreign objects)
• Worm Infestation (roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms)
• Dysbiosis (aka Leaky Gut Syndrome)
• rritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Colitis
• Ebola virus
• Dog Show Crud (Bacterial Overgrowth)
• Leptospirosis (Bacterial infection)
• Infectious canine hepatitis (virus)
• Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE)
• Heliobacter Infection (Bacteria)
• Addison's disease (Hypoadrenocorticism)
• Pet food poisoning - check this current list of over 95 recalled dog foods, effective July 2015 http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recalls Many dogs and cats have died from these foods that are causing kidney failure and liver failure with vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargy, and dehydration (all parvo type symptoms). If you think your puppy is reacting to one of these recalled foods or the many other foods that are causing health issues/death in pets, go to our Pet Food Recall/Poisoning Webpage.

MANY parvo like dis-eases will test positive for parvo, such as: Campylobacter and Salmonella. AND, IF a puppy was just vaccinated for parvo, it will test positive for parvo for at least 2 weeks post vaccination, even if it doesn't have parvo.

Being vaccinated can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and/or lethargy in some puppies for 1 or 2 days post vaccination. Traditional wormers can exhibit these symptoms immediately after dosing as well. When we used to vaccinate for parvo, distemper, lymes, corona, adenovirus, lepto, bordetella, etc., one of my canine companions would vomit and have diarrhea for days after being vaccinated. She was still eating and running around, but just being vaccinated caused her to have diarrhea and vomit for a few days after her vaccinations. I didn't correlate it at the time, but now I know this was her way of saying she was extremely sensitive to the vaccines.

WILL MY VETERINARIAN ADMINISTER PAXXIN (formerly PARVAID)? ~ Many holistic and traditional veterinarians are presently using Paxxin & Vibactra Plus in their vet hospitals to aid their parvo puppy treatment protocol (and other intestinal diseases) and boost their success rate for healing parvo puppies and other animal diseases. Some veterinarian's will administer just the 2-15 oral drops of Paxxin every hour someone is in the vet office while a puppy is on IV's, others will not. Paxxin is not FDA approved, largely because it costs over $350,000.00 per product to get this approval, at which point, it would make Parvaid cost a lot more to people who cannot afford traditional parvo treatment. Some owner's take their veterinarian information about Paxxin and they decide it is okay to use as it is just a combination of herbs that can't be harmful. The veterinarian's who have administered the oral drops of Parvaid to puppies on vet office IV's have commented within 12 to 24 hours of oral dosing, the puppy is eating and they don't know whether it was the customer's prayers or the Paxxin that helped them recover so quickly. This is AFTER the vet was suggesting euthanizing the puppy as it wasn't showing improvement after being on IV's for 4 to 6 days.

Some veterinarian's will not give the oral drops of Paxxin (aka Parvaid) and after suggesting the owner have their puppy put to sleep, as it wasn't improving on the IV's after many days, the customers have taken their sick parvo puppy home and treated them with Paxxin and pedialyte every hour and most of these puppies are eating within 12 to 24 hours. Please note, these people get a good tongue lashing from the vet, advising it is "cruel" to take their puppy home and attempt treatment...the puppy will die...etc.

It would be MY contention that if YOU have a puppy at the vet office on IV's and YOU are paying the vet bill whether the puppy lives or dies, YOU should have a say in the treatment of YOUR parvo puppy - PERIOD. It would be one thing if they chose not to use a remedy you suggest and if the puppy dies, THEY pay the bill or don't charge you (WELL, that's still NOT good enough, as we want ALL puppies to survive parvo and be healthy again and YOU want your puppy to come home), but it is my belief it is a totally different story if you are asking them to give something that they refuse to give and the puppy dies and YOU still have to pay the bill.

Note too, the local veterinarian's office that cremated our 90 lb. great pyrenees rescue parvo puppy and euthanized our alpha male 8 week old parvo puppy (prior to us discovering Paxxin) does not recommend Paxxin (aka Parvaid), even after his vet techs saw our recovered Paxxin Parvo Puppies and we took them a sample bottle of Paxxin. One of his client's could not afford his IV treatment for their parvo puppy and they took a bottle of Paxxin (aka Parvaid) to the vet that they had purchased at a pet store in the same shopping center and this vet told them they "wasted their money" on "snake oil"!! This parvo puppy was treated at home with Paxxin and is alive today because of Paxxin...

Lastly, we have many parvo puppy people who have had their parvo puppies treated at the vet hospital on IV's for 4 or 5 days and their vet was suggesting putting their puppy to sleep because it wasn't doing well and/or they didn't feel it would survive. These vets refused to give the Paxxin (formerly Parvaid) & Vibactra Plus as the owner requested. Many of these puppy owners chose to take their sick puppy home, rather than give up on them and started the hourly dosing with Paxxin. Most of these puppies are eating within 24 hours...REALLY, I am not pulling your leg or telling stories here.

Please note, the puppy owners devote round the clock, every hour on the hour oral dosing to these puppies. You can't take a nap from 3 am to 6 am, as a puppy can die in that short time frame. So choosing to bring a puppy home after having been on IV's for numerous days is an undertaking that requires work on your part and/or the assistance of others to keep up the hourly dosing. Many of the people who have chosen to take the life of their puppy into their own hands call us and ask for guidance.

HOME PARVO TREATMENT ~ Due to the fact that we did not have $4800-$7200.00 cash to treat our own 5 parvo puppies in early 2001, we did the home treatment route with Paxxin (formerly Parvaid) and Colloidal Silver (CS). This experience enlightened us greatly to home treatment, as have the other 42 parvo puppies people have brought us to help heal them with Paxxin and CS. The following are important guidelines for those desiring to treat their own parvo puppies at home:

1. Some parvo puppies are relatively easy to heal and within the first few doses of Paxxin (aka Parvaid) they are starting to consume fluids on their own, quit vomiting, and within 12-24 hours they are eating. This is NOT always the case with all puppies. If you are thinking of treating your parvo puppy at home, keep in mind that the worst puppies we have worked with required every hour on the hour oral or enema dosing for 24-48 hours straight. Meaning, you might need some assistance, so you can get some sleep. IF you are using IV's, dosing can be easier, but you "should" dose the oral drops of Paxxin every hour on the hour until the puppy is consuming fluids and beginning to eat. "Some" people have thought they could just dose the Paxxin in their parvo puppy's waterer, but if a parvo puppy isn't consuming fluids on it's own, it surely won't be getting the Paxxin every hour on the hour.
2. Some people take their parvo puppy to the vet and leave them on IV fluids while they go to their jobs during the day and pick their parvo puppy up in the evening and treat with Paxxin (aka Parvaid) throughout the night time hours. Others take their sick puppy to the vet and have the vet administer subcue fluids and then take them home and administer the hourly oral doses of Paxxin.
3. If you are treating a parvo puppy(ies) at home, we recommend keeping a record of everything you do and every thing the puppy does. Kind of like a doctor's chart. Every oral dose you give, every temperature you take, every antibiotic dose, every time the puppy has diarrhea, along with what color it was, every time the puppy vomits, etc. This helps YOU to remember when you gave the last dose, plus it is useful if someone else helps to care for the puppy while you get a 2 hour cat nap. They can see how the puppy has been doing, as well as read what doses you have been giving.
4. Healing them at home can be a lot of work, but the blessing is when they heal and YOU can get some sleep. Well, when they've healed you still might not get much sleep as then they are running around, barking, licking, eating, getting into puppy trouble and wanting YOU to play with them! You have a best friend for life!

TEMPERATURE ~ I'm a "Temp-a-holic", so I always monitor a parvo puppy's temperature. Holistic norm is 100.5 to 101.5, anything other than this is either a low or high grade fever. We use those nice digital thermometers. We ALWAYS tell parvo puppies WHY we are taking their temperature. If someone was putting a thermometer in my rectum, I'd want to know WHY! A sick puppy's temperature tells us many things:

1. High grade fever tells us a pup could dehydrate more quickly, as they are overheating, so they may need extra fluids. A fever can also tell us there is a secondary infection going on for which we may choose to either be a little heavier handed with the antibiotic we are using or for those using homeopathic remedies, the high grade fever helps guide us to the appropriate remedy.
2. A low grade fever tells us the puppy is chilled. When we are "chilled", we put on a sweater, jacket, or cover up with a warm blanket. The same courtesy should be extended to our puppy family members who have low grade fevers. No need to sit them on the furnace, but a light blanket helps them to keep their body heat in check, which can help them feel better and conserve their much needed energy for healing, instead of heating. A low grade fever also tells us that any fluids we give the puppy should be warmed to body temperature, as giving cold fluids would bring down the puppy's body temperature further.

NEVER feed solid food to a puppy with a fever, as this can prevent recovery and/or make them worse. The old saying, "Feed a cold, starve a fever" applies here.

HYDRATION ~ Well hydrated puppies have dark pink gums, well, in those breeds that have pink gums to begin with. Very light pink, white, or grayish gums means one of two things - either the puppy has excessive worms or they are dehydrated. You can also pinch their skin to test hydration. Pinch the skin on your forearm and it immediately goes back into place meaning YOU are NOT dehydrated. Pinch the puppies skin, if it goes back into place immediately, this indicates they are hydrated. If their skin sticks and takes a second or two to go back into place, they are dehydrated. When checking puppy hydration, we use both the gum and pinch the skin method for added assurance.

Hydration is important. You can lose a parvo puppy to dehydration or secondary infection, PRIOR to losing them of parvo. This is why parvo puppies are put on IV's at the vet office, to prevent dehydration. Dehydration causes the organs to work harder and the body can shut down quickly, resulting in death.

HYDRATION METHODS ~ There are 5 hydration methods that I have heard about. They are:

1. IV's (Intravenous fluids)
2. Subcue fluids injected under the skin
3. Oral fluids
4. Enema fluids
5. Placing the dehydrated being in body temp water. This last mentioned method is not something I would recommend, but I have heard of people doing this with parvo puppies.

IV's and Subcue fluids are hydration methods that a vet or a person trained in these methods can do easily. We recommend IV's or oral/enema dosing, as we are hearing that Sub Q fluids are not releasing fluids back into the system fast enough, when a puppy is continuing to vomit or have diarrhea, so they can still dehydrate. Personally, we have always used the oral and enema methods to keep parvo puppies hydrated. If a parvo puppy continues to vomit oral fluids, we generally use the enema method to help get them them hydrated again, until they can keep fluids down orally. Using Paxxin (aka Parvaid), Pedialyte, and sometimes Colloidal Silver (aka Electrically Isolated Silver), per the Paxxin insert instructions we have found enema fluids are completely retained in puppies who are dehydrated.

ANTIBIOTICS ~ It is recommended to use an antibiotic in conjunction with Paxxin (formerly Parvaid), to prevent secondary infection. Parvo can eat through arteries, therefore, Parvo can create a secondary infection. As noted above, a parvo puppy can die of dehydration OR secondary infection PRIOR to dying of parvo, so a good antibiotic is very important.

Please note, we highly recommend using Vibactra Plus or Colloidal Silver in conjunction with Paxxin (aka Parvaid} when treating parvo. #1 because Vibactra Plus and Colloidal Silver are known to kill viruses, which NO traditional antibiotic can do and #2 because too frequently, puppies are being diagnosed with parvo when they either don't have it or they have BOTH parvo and coccidia.Vibactra Plus or Colloidal Silver kill microscopic single celled organisms/parasites, such as coccidia protozoan (they do not kill "worms" like roundworms, tapeworms, etc.). Instances where a puppy is treated for "parvo" and their puppy really had "coccidia", puppies die, whether treated on vet IV's or at home. Therefore, using Vibactra Plus or Colloidal Silver helps heal puppies or dogs whether they have parvo, coccidia, giardia, etc. So ALL parvo like dis-eases are covered.

VOMITING ~ Parvo puppy vomiting can occur for numerous reasons. Make sure you read the following to make sure your puppy isn't vomiting for a reason that you can prevent.

1. MOTION SICKNESS ~ Movement can trigger vomiting. Whether a car ride, picking your puppy up and moving her to another location, or just from the puppy getting up to urinate or drink. When WE have the flu, our tummy is queasy, and movement can trigger headaches, dizziness, and vomiting for US, just as it can for parvo puppies.
2. DEHYDRATION ~ Being dehydrated can trigger vomiting. Dehydration is likely the single biggest reason puppies are vomiting.
3. EXCITEMENT ~ If you go to visit your parvo puppy while she is at the vet's on IV's, the excitement of seeing you can sometimes trigger vomiting. The same as seeing you walk in the door after being home without you can trigger vomiting. It may also be the combination of getting up from a laying position (which they were laying low because movement can make them vomit) and being so excited to see you that they momentarily "forgot" they were sick.
4. EXCESSIVE FLUIDS ~ Often, parvo puppies quit consuming water on their own, so when they start drinking water, WE get excited they are drinking. Our excitement is short lived, after our little parvo puppy gulps down a cup of water, only to vomit it up seconds later, in a massive mess all over the floor...We recommend keeping only 5 or 6 licks worth of water or plain flavored pedialyte in a bowl on the floor for the puppy to consume. As soon as they drink this water, we wait 10 minutes and then replace the empty bowl with more water or pedialyte, tho just enough for 5 or 6 licks. NOT so much that they weigh down their little tummies and heave it back all over the floor. Here again, remember, parvo virus is like a really terrible human flu. When we have the flu, if we drank an 8 oz. glass of water, we'd be vomiting too. Small amounts of fluids, frequently. You can give the puppy ice chips to lick also.
5. EXCESSIVE ORAL DOSING ~ If you are dosing your parvo puppy yourself with Paxxin (aka Parvaid) and your puppy continues to vomit after 2 or 3 hourly doses, you can make the doses smaller and give half the hourly dose, every half hour. Hourly doses can even be broken down into quarters by giving 1/4 the hourly dose every 15 minutes. Make sure the puppy isn't dehydrated though, as vomiting can be indicative of dehydration. If the puppy isn't on IV's or Subcue fluids and the oral doses continue to make the puppy vomit, "I" would give an enema instead. Enema fluids are completely maintained by dehydrated parvo puppies.
6. EXCESSIVE WORM LOADS ~ Excessive worm loads can cause a puppy to vomit. If worms are present in your puppy's vomit or stool, contact your veterinarian or call us for a parasite tea recipe or give Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth orally and via enema daily.
   • Excessive worms (roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, or tapeworms) can prevent the recovery of a parvo puppy. Excessive worm loads can kill puppies. Worm overload symptoms are very similar to parvo and it is becoming increasingly common for parvo puppies to have worm overloads.
   • We do not recommend worming with chemical wormers when a puppy has parvo as the poison can kill the worms and the puppy. Since parvo sheds the intestinal lining, giving a chemical wormer will be more readily absorbed into the puppy's body, plus killing the worms creates dead, bloated worms that release toxins: bacteria, viruses, ammonia, etc. that can and often do, kill puppies when they have parvo as well.
   • We do not recommend stopping the vomiting in puppies who have excessive worm loads. IF they are going to vomit worms, we WANT them to. I want those worms OUT of the body whether through vomit or feces. Keeping the parasites in the body with drugs that are supposed to stop vomiting can keep a puppy sick and/or even cause death.
   • Many puppy breeders start worming puppies at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age and their puppies are getting sick at 9 weeks of age or shortly thereafter. Most of these breeders rotate their choice of wormers, using Safeguard, Ivomec, Pyrantel, Panacur, Nemex, and others. Often, their puppies still have excessive worm loads. Read more information about parvo and traditional wormers HERE. Realize, that if your parvo puppy has been wormed on numerous occassions prior to coming down with parvo and they are NOT having 4 to 5 bowel movements a day, 9 times out of 10, they have excessive worm loads which need to be addressed or the worms can prevent their recovery from parvo. We do NOT recommend worming these puppies with traditional chemical wormers!
   • In some cases, these overly chemicalized/wormed puppies' intestines swell shut, meaning just a few drops of oral fluid make them instantly vomit and NO bowel movements occur. We have found it essential to reduce the inflammation so bowel movements can resume and oral doses can once again be administered without instant vomiting. It is easiest to accomplish this with enemas and natural remedies.
7. DEHYDRATION CAN KILL YOUR PUPPY ~ A lack of bodily fluid can cause a parvo puppy's heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, etc. to have to work harder. Eventually these organs give out and they can die quickly from dehydration, so preventing dehydration is very very important!

DIARRHEA ~ Parvo puppies generally have a dark bloody diarrhea, tho we have seen some with a bright red bloody diarrhea and there is the F-Strain where there is no blood, but a mucousy diarrhea, often a yellowish tan color. Regardless of whether a parvo puppy has dark bloody diarrhea, bright red bloody diarrhea, or the F-Strain mucousy diarrhea, we have seen all types heal with Paxxin (formerly Parvaid) and a natural antibiotic. There have been some parvo puppies who just have spots of blood in their diarrhea and others who have a total mass of complete dark or bright red diarrhea.

1. Diarrhea can cause dehydration, due to the loss of fluids. IF we are personally dealing with a parvo puppy who has a massive amount of fluid loss through diarrhea, we often make it a point to given them oral or enema fluids shortly thereafter, within 15 minutes or so, to replace the fluid loss, rather than waiting for their next scheduled hourly dose, to help prevent dehydration.
2. Many people want to stop the diarrhea with kaopectate or similar over the counter remedies or drugs. In the holistic world, it is said that diarrhea is the body's way of trying to rid itself of something that is making it sick, so stopping the diarrhea isn't necessarily a good thing. And infact, it can actually make a puppy worse, by not allowing its body to get rid of what is making it ill quickly.
3. One of parvo's most tell tale signs is "constant" bowel movements. Parvo puppies have bowel movements at least 4+ times/day. Even though a parvo puppy is not eating and may not have eaten for a few days, the lining of their intestines is shedding, which is what creates the constant bowel movements.
4. IF a parvo puppy is NOT having bowel movements, 9 times out of 10, the reason is because they are infested with worms. Go to our section on Worming, above to read about handling excessive worm loads in parvo puppies.

LETHARGY ~ Parvo puppies do not feel well, hence, they are lethargic. Just as we are lethargic when we have the flu. We believe it is important to give them lots of tlc, time, attention, and be at their beckon call, just as we would want someone to be there for us if we were so sick. We also believe, it is important for them to be able to recover in a household that is conducive of getting better. Not saying we want them glued to a hospital bed, but that excessive noise and play with other family members is best kept to a minimum, to help allow them to heal.

ENEMAS...OH MY! ~ Enemas are not as bad as many people think they are or will be. Enemas are an excellent way of preventing puppies from dehydrating, especially if they are not keeping fluids down orally. If a puppy is not dehydrated, the enema fluids will come back out, but when they are dehydrating (do the gum and skin test above), their bodies maintain all the enema fluids given. IF a parvo puppy expels the enema fluids within seconds of giving an enema, its intestines may have tortioned (twisted). IF this occurs, you should get your puppy to a vet immediately.

You can give an enema with a fleet enema bag, an infant enema bag, a bulb syringe, or a standard clear syringe, like the one you may be using for oral doses. We prefer using clear syringes, as it's easy to see how much fluid is in them and it's easy to see how clean they are after washing. ALWAYS make sure to clearly mark an enema syringe with a good permanent marker and NEVER use an enema syringe even after it's been thoroughly washed to give an oral dose, as you can reinfect a puppy with parvo.

Please note, there are 2 kinds of syringes. One is made to screw a needle into, which does NOT make a good syringe for giving enema doses. If using a syringe for giving enemas, make sure the tip is nice and clean, without that flowery thing typical needle syringes have. Here's a photo of a good syringe to use for enemas.

Lubricate the end of your enema applicator with KY jelly, vitamin E, or similar. Make sure the puppy's spine is straight, as you cannot give an enema to a puppy that,s curled up. We've found some parvo pup's have even lifted their legs while getting their enema (NOTE: MOST do not do this). Those who have, apparently realized the benefit the enema was giving them and they recovered the quickest.

Administer the enema fluids VERY slowly. We pet the puppy and tell them why we are giving them an enema...to help them get better so they can be happy, healthy, eat, and play. Giving 5 cc's of enema fluids may take you 2 to 3 minutes to give. Again, do it slowly.

IF your parvo puppy has a low grade fever, we recommend heating the fluids to body temperature, so their cute little furry bodies do not have to work hard at bringing the enema fluids to their body temperature. They need to be working on healing from parvo and should not be having to waste their energy bringing their body temp back up after getting a room temp - 70 degree cold enema. It may help make their recovery easier and quicker.

If giving an enema still sounds gross, please know that there have been one or two Paxxin (aka Parvaid) customers the past 4 years who, despite our repeated informing of the importance of enemas, along with the written Paxxin (formerly Parvaid) instructions, did NOT give the enemas and both these puppies died. When it comes to life or death choices, if you aren't giving IV fluids, or if your puppy isn't keeping down the oral doses, give the enema(s) - PERIOD. They really aren't gross (and even if they were, SO WHAT) and could make the difference of whether or not your puppy lives or dies.

Just note, it can take 10 to 15 minutes to give a 45 lb. parvo puppy 4 tbsps. (60 cc's) of enema fluids. If you are giving the enema via syringe and the fluid starts to come back out, stop for a few seconds, pet your puppy so it can relax, and then slowly administer more of the enema fluid. So again, give very slowly.

Please also note, the purpose of an enema is to hydrate a puppy so that they will be better able to hold down oral fluids. We do not recommend giving enemas 24 hours straight or in lieu of oral dosing. Enemas are needed if a puppy is vomiting excessively, but the goal is to get them hydrated enough so that they can keep their oral fluids down.

TREATING A LITTER OF PARVO PUPPIES ~ There are a few things to consider if you are treating a litter of parvo puppies:

1. WEIGH each and every puppy in the litter! Often, some puppies weigh less than others in a litter, so just weighing ONE puppy and figuring ALL the other puppies weigh the same can be a life - death mistake. EVEN if you think they weigh the same, PLEASE weigh each puppy. For example, one of the girl puppies weighs 8 lbs., but one of the boys might weigh 13 lbs. The girl's hourly dosage would be 2 tsps., but the boy's dose would be 1 tbsp. every hour on the hour. Dosing the girl the 2 tsps. would be fine, but over time, 2 tsps. will NOT be enough for the boy who weighs more and it would be terrible to lose a puppy simply because it wasn't getting enough hourly fluids. So, PLEASE weigh each and every puppy you are treating.
2. We have found when feeding a litter of puppies, IF we feed them ALL in ONE bowl, sometimes it helps prompt those who aren't eating, to eat, knowing that their siblings will eat ALL the food, if they don't hurry up and try and grab a few bites.

THINK GOOD THOUGHTS ~ ALWAYS think good thoughts about your puppy recovering from parvo. Our animals often know what we are thinking and if we think, "Gee, I don't think my parvo puppy is going to make it", it is possible for them to pick up on this thought and say to themselves, "Gee, they don't think I'm going to make it" and then they will start to think this as well. After all, they already think you know everything, as you are their family and you feed and care for them.

There were times that we had seen parvo puppies curled up in a heep on the floor, so very listless, not moving when we would come at them with their hourly oral syringe of Paxxin (aka Parvaid) and pedialyte and we would literally have to lift their heads and open their mouths to give them these doses and I started to think they wouldn't make it. I would let their owners talk to them through the phone and their eyes might open or their ears perk up, saying, "Gee, maybe they didn't 'abandon' me here afterall". All, except one of the 47 parvo puppies we helped heal with Paxxin made it. After their recoveries, they are running around, chewing on things, eating, barking, licking, and driving me NUTS! Just like healthy puppies are supposed to do!! So again, always think good thoughts and keep up the hourly doses until they are eating and drinking on their own.