sick again

Question
My eight-month old pit bull just survived parvo a month ago. He
spent six days at the vet. I am still recovering from his
hospitalization expenses. A week after returning home, he started
coughing. I gave him Vit C and the coughing somehow stopped.
What I'm worried about is that he's got watery eyes now and
there's an involuntary muscle movement in his head. He's got
appetite but I think he's losing weight. What do you think is
wrong with my dog? I like to take him back to the vet but I'm
still pooling some of my money. And is it true that a dog that
survived parvo is likely to become sickly? Thanks!

Answer
Hi Prue,

It's fool hardy to ask for a diagnosis from anyone who isn't a doctor. Your dog needs much better than guesswork! He needs treatment! You really have no choice but to take your dog back to the vet. A dog is a responsibility  just like having a child in many ways, and when a chid or a dog is sick, we must provide treatment.

Talk to your vet about paying the bill off over an agreed upon period of time, many vets are open to this if you discuss it before the treatment.
There is also a special credit card available to help pay for vet bills, called Care Credit that you use to pay for your vet bills in full, then you'd be paying Care Credit off over time. Read about it here: http://www.carecredit.com

You are correct, puppies who survive parvo infection usually remain somewhat unhealthy and weak for life. It would be a terrific help to feed your dog the very best quality dog food, to support your dog's immune system. This won't be cheap, but it will help your dog! Talk to your vet regarding using a daily Omega Fatty Acid supplement, get a brand and dose recommendation. In the future always seek prompt medical treatment, so small concerns don't become big problems.

The Parvovirus is very hardy in the environment, it can linger in your home and yard for 6 months. If your house becomes contaminated by the virus clean any surfaces that can be cleaned with chlorine bleach diluted 1 oz of bleach to 32 oz of water. The disinfectant potassium peroxymonosulfate (Trifectant  or Virkon ) is also effective. It is extremely hard to disinfect a yard. Realistically, if your yard has been potentially contaminated with parvovirus it would probably be best not to get a new puppy and expose it to the yard for at least six months and nine months would be better. Areas of the yard that are exposed to sunlight will require less time for the virus to die than areas of the yard that are shaded, moist and sandy. At the present time there is not a disinfectant product marketed for use in yards that has been proven to be effective against parvovirus.
Dogs who have survived parvo can get it again.

Best of luck,
Patti