Our GSD puppy died Why

Question

befor 1 days from suff   QUESTION: i just lost my loved German shepherd puppy, he is 2 month old, he is effected by PARVO and suffered last five days,
1st day he refuse to eat and drink
2nd day he did potty many times
3rd day he start vomiting again and again
4rth day he was very weak and still vomiting
and today morning he is in my hand and looking at me after a second he fell down his neck, I checked he was dead, I shocked, he was dead by heart failure, after five IV and many antibiotics and protein injections, we couldn't save him, but he was very brave, he never did toilet or potty on bed till death after all he was very weak in last days he always gone to outside for fresh, I salute him and love him lot lot and lot, Thank you "Dabbu" to make us happy till death, Love You, but i want to ask you that we started iv and antibiotic 1st day when our puppy refuse to eat after two hours we take him to vet and start treatment carefully, than why we lose him? why?

ANSWER: Parvo virus is a nasty virus Sunil. I am really sorry that you lost your sweet boy. It's always hard to lose them no matter what the cause.

Parvo attacks the lining of the intestines and destroys it. It then starts to break down inside the body, causing the blooding diarrhea and vomiting as the bacteria invade the body from the intestines dying.

It is a very difficult disease to treat with success. The problem is that when a dog is not vaccinated the disease hits them very hard. Even if they have had one vaccination it is hard to save them because of the way the mother's antibodies stay in the system for a while. At 8 weeks old, his body was right in between losing that protection from the mom and being covered by the vaccination. I don't know if he was vaccinated but if he wasn't at 6 weeks, then he hardly had a chance against the disease.

Parvo can be mild or very strong when it hits. German shepherds are one of the breeds that do have a harder time surviving the disease. So do Rottweilers, dobermans, pitbulls and dalmations. No one really knows why.

Make sure that you bleach everything that you can in your house that he was one or near. This virus is hardy and can live in the house and on the ground for 6 months after the dog is gone.

I hope that you have some comfort in knowing that you did the right thing in getting him to the vets right away. He knew that too, and loved you. It is heartbreaking to lose him, but he is not in pain now. You are wonderful owners for being right on top of this.

Please except my deepest condolences....


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much Janna Connel,
You solve many confusion, but still left some question .,
I want to tell You first that my puppy vaccinated 6 day before PARVO symptom shows,
So vaccine worked or not?
Puppy had 4 kg vet when symptom Show and VET gave him 40 to 50 ml IV Fluid per day,
2. Is it enough IV Fluid to survive in PARVO?

Puppy Died fifth day morning i heard that PARVO kills Puppy in 2-3 days otherwise puppy passes PARVO and wins life again.
3. Why my puppy died after ending period.

puppy stopped direah and stool 2nd day and he didn't stool till death is it possible? because I heard that direah is common till death.
and please tell the fluid quantity per day by weight, antibiotics, and best treatment In PARVO for any future for other Case,
Well we more care full in future for this nasty killer PARVO.
Please adjust with my poor English.
With heartily thanx and waiting ur answer
Sunil Trivedi

Answer
There is no set 'time' that a dog will or will not survive Parvovirus. It's way too unpredictable for that. Some dogs go on for over a week before they turn the corner and live or die. Some get well in four days, others in 7 days.

Being vaccinated 6 days before he got it is not enough time for the bodies immune system to have set up a good protection.

As far as the diarrhea stopping that just means that he didn't have anything left to slough off at that point.

Parvo is a nasty killer Sunil and it sounds like your vet did the best that they could for this dog.  A 4 kg shepherd at 8 weeks is not going to be given a lot of fluids, but needs a slow infusion of them over time. They should do it with a slow drip infusion system. Basically all you can do is give supportive therapy, antibiotics to help ward off any secondary bacterial infections that try to sneak in there and do a lot of praying.

I am truly sorry you lost your little guy. I know it's hard to come to terms with but you did the best that you could and so did your vet.

Make sure that you clean and bleach your house, etc so that someday you might want to get a little dog from your pound or shelter that needs a second chance at love. Get one a bit older and you may be able to ward off parvo a second time. Always get your puppies vaccinated at 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 weeks old if you can. If you get them at 8 weeks old get them vaccinated right away and do a follow up every three weeks on time.

You might want to make sure the mother and father are vaccinated as well (mostly the mother) if you buy a puppy from a breeder.

I hope this helps some. My prayers are with you.