What Is Parvo Virus: Parvo Dogs: Vomiting
Is this really a big concern or has it been blown way out of proportion?
When dogs have the Parvo disease, a number of things are happening simultaneously, which accounts for so many dogs being lost to this virus.
The vomiting starts off with clear mucus, then it can turn to egg-shell color, and then it usually ends up looking like yellow thick froth. Your dog will throw up a few times, and then within a few hours he can easily throw up numerous times. So, at the end of the day, he may have thrown up 10, 20, 30 or more times, and several times each hour.
This cannot be good no matter how you look at it. But keep reading to find out why.
After so many bouts, he will be very thirsty and since he has lost the contents of his stomach, he will want to drink lots of water. This is a problem: lots of water will cause him to vomit again. Once this cycle has happened a few times, it sets up a kind of negative feedback loop in his mind: I’m thirsty from so much vomiting, I drink water, I throw up again, I don’t like this, so I just won’t drink water.
This is very traumatic for him: he has lost control over everyday activities, he’s very nauseous, he’s depressed, and the simple act of drinking water has become an ordeal that doesn’t seem worth the risk. At this stage, this is where most dogs refuse water because they fear an extreme vomit attack will happen.
Not only will this cycle affect him psychologically, it also can do physical damage: from so much heaving, he may damage muscles and tissues. This is where bloody vomit comes in. This, we have come to know and understand, is very devastating, and in our experience, if you do not shut down the vomiting, no matter what you give the dog he will just throw it right back up, and that will be just wasted efforts and often results in the loss of many pets.
So, why does he throw up everything?
When Parvo strikes, it takes as long as two weeks to see any symptoms. During all of that incubation time, the virus is preparing for an all-out assault. He gathers up his troops and clones himself (saves him a lot of time that way) – rapid cell division makes for exponential virus growth.
As we know, nothing is really free, so all of this virus activity requires fuel – and that’s where your dog comes in. He has been weakened by the virus, so it becomes easy to feed off of your dog. Parvo goes after the bone marrow to get everything started, and then he moves on to easier, more bio-available food sources such as your dog’s intestines – hence this is where the large pools of blood come from (we’ll talk more about this part of problem in our diarrhea post).
The massive amounts of damage to bone and tissue, including other components, e.g. the dog’s immune system, coupled with accelerated rates (especially with the 2c Strain
The 2c strain of Parvo, also known as the F-Strain, is a much more aggressive variant of the Parvovirus. Symptoms appear in a matter of hours, not days, and if left untreated, your dog can die in as little as six hours. Apart from the acceleration in the rate of symptoms appearing, the best clue you have that your dog has the 2c strain instead of one of the older, more standard strains, is if he has bloody diarrhea within the first two to three hours. Some of the hot spots in the US are: AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, IN, KS, MS, NC, NV, OH, SC, TN, TX and WI; however, most other states, and some countries such as Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, Aruba, Trinidad & Tobago, the Philippines and others are experiencing a marked increase in the number of Canine Parvovirus cases – most likely due to this new strain.
Many times, this is compounded when dogs have been given large amounts of drugs, other chemical-based products such as vaccinations, de-wormers and commercial dog foods, etc.
All of these chemical products are exacting their toll as well: the dog is trying to de-tox himself to rid these harmful chemicals from his system, usually with little success since he has no energy left after fighting with Parvo. And, of course, the dog is in such a weak state that other parasites have now decided to join in. So, it is common to see dogs with Parvo also have other parasites creating additional problems that you just don’t need.
When all of this is added together, you will have a difficult time resolving all of these issues.
So, take this step-by-step.
It is absolutely mandatory to stop the vomiting. If your dog throws up four or five times in a row, you have a large problem. You must get help. If you have been reading our sites and you think we have useful information then please do not wait another minute, contact us immediately.
We have much more experience with this than you do. We are up on the latest research and more importantly we deal with this every day. We’ve helped thousands pull their animals through these types of crises.
Start by getting a ParvoBuster Parvo Treatment Kit. This contains:
- all the herbal tinctures you will need (these are chemical-free products, which means NO-SIDE EFFECTS)!
- our comprehensive Home Remedies for Parvo Plan!
September 20th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Please help, my 11 week old puppy has parvo. Am treating him at home with subcutaneous fluid, pepto bismol and pedialyte but he is not keeping anything down. my phone number is 780-466-6055
September 21st, 2009 at 2:14 am
Deborah,
Firstly, we’re sorry to hear that your puppy has Parvo.
We don’t recommend Pedialyte as in our experience, it can actually cause additional vomiting.
You also need to be careful not to overhydrate a dog with Parvo – most people are aware of the dangers of dehydration, but too much fluid can be dangerous too, and this can also cause excessive vomiting. It can also cause other problems, so Sub Q fluids as well as Pedialyte could be dangerous unless the fluid balance is monitored very closely.
For hydration therapy, the only thing we recommend in 99+% of cases is the Parvo Emergency Tea Recipe.
Now, this tea recipe will not treat the Parvo, but it will help prevent dehydration and should calm down the vomiting.
The other thing you really need is to administer the appropriate treatment, and the best solution available is the Home Parvo Treatment Kit.
Finally, whatever you do, I hope your doggie pulls through.
October 18th, 2009 at 2:11 am
Hi, my name is kristen. my 5 month old puppy has parvo. She at first was throwing up about 15-30 times a day now its around 5-10 a day. I give her two iv’s of fluids and antibiotics. She started throwing up blood today. She only has thrown up blood once though today as far as i know. What should I do?
June 17th, 2010 at 11:33 am
my 5 month old dogo have been throwing up all morning like deborah said we gave him pedialyte and he kep throwing up what do i do?please help me he is my heart i need help!asap
June 17th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Frankie,
We’re sorry to hear your doggie isn’t well.
As we said to Deborah, we don’t recommend Pedialyte as it can cause additional vomiting.
Our advice to Deborah would be our advice to you too.
We hope your doggie makes it.
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:29 am
my 8 month dog is vomiting and not looking good i didnt have the money to run a parvo test but the droctor gave her 2 shots and antibiotics to take at home and if shes not better in the morning the doctor told us to put her down we dont know if she even has parvo it just happened one day to the next please help me and my family we dont know what to do shes vomiting and cant hold anything down…shes so weak…..
August 3rd, 2010 at 11:41 am
Rebekah,
We are sorry to hear your dog is sick. It sounds like it could be Parvo, although we cannot obviously provide an accurate diagnosis over the Internet.
However, we never, ever give up on dogs, so putting them down is never an option we would take with our own dogs or recommend to others.
What you really need is a Parvo Treatment Kit, but as a bare minimum, you should make and administer the Parvo Emergency Tea. This will prevent the dog from dehydrating, in most cases, and can help with the vomiting too.
Do NOT give Pedialyte or Gatorade to your dog as, in our extensive experience, these products can make the vomiting even worse.
Whatever you decide to do, we hope she pulls through.
October 13th, 2010 at 11:06 pm
my 2mth old pup has parvo…..if i dont get the parvo emergency kit in time , what do i do?
October 14th, 2010 at 12:56 am
Nancy,
We are sorry to hear your pup has Parvo.
The only thing we can recommend until you can get a full Parvo Treatment Kit is to make and administer the Parvo Emergency Tea.
October 16th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
My dog has parvo but has no diaharria but he thows up a lot can u help me please my # is 323 479 7448
October 16th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Omar,
We’re sorry to hear that your dog has Parvo.
Most dogs with Parvo do get diarrhea at some stage, and it’s often bloody, but the key thing is to start the treatment immediately.
The best thing we can suggest for now is the Parvo Emergency Tea.
March 20th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
My puppy has Parvo, I’ve been monitoring him closely, giving him Pedialyte and switching it back and forth between water and that. He hasn’t been throwing up a lot, it’s been up to 3-4 times a day. This is his second day and he’s a fighter. Will he be able to make it through the night to get to the vet?
March 20th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Sopie,
We’re sorry to hear your puppy has Parvo.
Firstly, we never recommend using Pedialyte, as in many cases, this can make the vomiting worse. The best home hydration therapy for dogs with Parvo is our Parvo Emergency Tea recipe.
As to whether he’ll make it through the night, it’s impossible for us to say. It depends on many factors, such as his age, his weight, the breed, whether he’s been vaccinated and/or dewormed recently (e.g. within the past two weeks), his diet, and the strength of his immune system.
You should be aware that vets charge anywhere from $500 USD to $12,000 USD per animal, with an average success rate of around 50%. They will use a chemical-based treatment that can make matters worse too. This will include antibiotics that are ineffective against the Parvo virus – they are only designed to help with secondary infections, but they’re basically taking a wild guess as to which antibiotic to use.
We strongly recommend you check out a home Parvo treatment kit – it’s not only a lot cheaper (typically under $200, including overnight shipping), but it also has about a 90% success rate.
Whatever you decide to do, we hope you puppy recovers soon.
April 20th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
I have 10 week old pup that shows some of the signs of Parvo. He does not have diarrhea or a fever. Is there any other illness that can cause the same symptoms? Will a dog with Parvo always get diarrhea? Thanks – we only got the dog on Saturday (4 days ago) and we already don’t want to lose him. We are scared!!!
April 20th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Rob,
We’re sorry to hear about your puppy.
Almost every dog that gets Parvo does get diarrhea at some stage, but it can start immediately, or anywhere up to two or even three days later in some cases. Also, with the vast majority of dogs, there will be blood in the diarrhea too – it may be a few spots, all the way up to a full gush.
Not all dogs with Parvo get a fever, however.
The first symptoms are usually a lack of appetite, not playing, having no energy and generally being lethargic and depressed (i.e. not their usual self), with the vomiting and diarrhea coming later.
Unfortunately, there are many other illnesses that have Parvo-like symptoms, although the most common one we’ve found is a bacterial infection called Campylobacter. Dogs who have this can even generate a positive result on a Parvo test.
The best treatment in our opinion (based on helping nearly 4,000 dogs and cats) is a natural, chemical-free home Parvo Treatment – it has a success rate of about 90% (if people follow directions, compared to vets who offer 50%), and you can find out more at our Parvo Emergency Treatment site. Once you order the kit, you will be able to download our comprehensive Parvo Treatment Guide, which contains all the information (including various home remedies) that you’ll need.
We hope all goes well.
April 20th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Thanks.
Lack of appetite, not playing, having no energy and generally being lethargic and depressed (i.e. not their usual self), and the vomiting started almost at the same time. He hasn’t eaten (short of what we have been feeding him with a syringe to keep him hydrated) since Monday night (it is Wednesday afternoon now). Would this be a reason for not having diarrhea or even if the system is close to empty, could the puppy still get diarrhea with Parvo? Thanks for all your help!!!
April 20th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Rob,
Yes, he could still get diarrhea yet.
Also, we don’t know what you’re using to hydrate him, but we’ve found that Pedialyte (which is often recommended) can cause dogs to vomit even more. What we recommend is our Parvo Emergency Tea recipe.
May 6th, 2011 at 9:55 am
Hey i think my dog has parvo and I don’t have time to order ur stuff she would did before it got here. u guys are sick anyways all you ever tell anyone is to buy ur $hit that we could make ourselves
May 7th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
You can find our response to your comment on our Parvo Emergency Treatment site.
June 21st, 2011 at 4:55 pm
My 9 week old pup has diarrhea and has thrown up twice in one day. He still eats and drinks and is still playful. He has not been vomiting at all. Does it sound like Parvo?
June 21st, 2011 at 6:41 pm
It’s hard to say for certain, but it could be. Not all dogs get all of the classic symptoms, and they don’t always appear in the same order.
In most cases, the lack of appetite comes first, followed by the diarrhea and vomiting, but that’s not always the case.
Another possibility is worms, of course, and not all of these are visible to the naked eye.
However, our view is that if it looks like it could be Parvo, then it’s wise to treat it like it is, because if you take a wait-and-see approach, it might be too late.
If you want to play it safe, then check out our reasonably-priced Parvo Treatment Kit.
June 27th, 2011 at 1:29 am
My 10 month old pit bull started vomiting a yellow foam today. He was fine yesterday. He won’t eat and is very lazy. He hasn’t had bloody diarrhea but earlier he did have watery bowel movements. He does still get up and move around. But he is pretty tired. I don’t think I have very long. What is best to do right now?
June 27th, 2011 at 1:37 am
Craig,
We’re sorry to hear about your Pit Bull.
The first thing you should do is to make and administer our Parvo Emergency Tea, as this will keep him hydrated.
Next, you need to get him treated, and while most people would opt for the vet’s, this will be both expensive (think $500 to $12,000!) and their success rate is only about 50%.
So, we always recommend home treatment, using natural, chemical-free products.
If he has recently (i.e. within the past two weeks) been vaccinated and/or dewormed, OR if he has worms (although note that you can’t always see them with the naked eye), then you will need the products featured on our Parvo Emergency Treatment site.
If, however, he has NOT been vaccinated or dewormed recently, AND he does NOT have worms, then you could use the products on our Parvo Treatment site.
Whatever you decide to do, we hope he pulls through.
September 15th, 2011 at 10:12 pm
Hi I have a ten month old German shepherd mix he was diagnosed with parvo on Wednesday the vet gave him a shot and said to give him pepto bismol and pedialyte as I read your article you said it would make him throw up but it’s not, I guess it’s a good thing right. I had a question what happens if I give him water is it ok for him please reply..
September 16th, 2011 at 12:22 am
Melissa,
We’re sorry to hear about your GSD.
While shots, Pepto-Bismol and Pedialyte won’t always cause additional vomiting, it happens often enough for us to recommend not using any of these products. After all, if vomiting is one of the major Parvo symptoms, why would you want to risk making matters worse than they already are?
As for your question about water, then when a dog has Parvo, you need to be really careful about their fluid balance – while dehydration is a known risk with Parvo, over-hydration is just as big a danger.
If you check out our Parvo Emergency Tea recipe, you’ll see that we specify precise doses based on a dog’s weight. By the way, this is also the best way to hydrate your dog safely at home.
Note, though, that the Parvo Tea by itself is not going to deal with the Parvo – for that, you’d need a Parvo Treatment Kit (which is also 100% safe and natural).
Whatever you decide to do, we hope your doggie pulls through.
September 26th, 2011 at 11:02 am
hi i have a 5 month old puppy yesterday she vomited 3 times,no diarrhea she looked alittle depressed and non playful. and she is potty trained to go on the pad but yesterday she was peeing and looping on the floor, like as if she couldnt hold it.but today she seems perfectly fine, shes eating alot and drinking water. shes very hyper, she does look alittle thin though, ive been feeding her cat food for about a month and a half now because of some money complications soo i dont no if its the cat food that could have caused this.but today she seems fine but what do you think?
September 26th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Linda,
We’re sorry to hear about your puppy.
We suspect that feeding your dog cat food for a month may well have caused this problem, and while we understand that people have financial constraints, economising on your pet’s food can prove to be a false economy in the long run – for example, it can cause health issues, which in turn may require expensive treatment.
The only dog food we use with our dogs is called Triumph – and if you watch the video we put together on the home page, you’ll see why we never recommend cheap crappy commercial dog food.
Another problem may be that your dog now needs a full detox to get rid of the ingredients from the cat food that have no place inside a dog’s body. For that, we recommend our Daily Maintenance Kit – full instructions are available for download after purchase.
November 20th, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Hi I got a 9 week old male maltipoo puppy who weighs about 3 lbs 5 days ago. I picked bought him from the breeder the day that he went to the vet and got vaccinated for parvo and he was fine. Last night he ate his dinner and as playful and acting fine, he slept in his crate and this morning I found he had pooped in his crate during the night, but it was just soft not diarrhea and no blood. Then about 5 minutes later he threw up. He drank water and threw up again. He laid around the rest of the morning and threw up about 3 more times.
I finally took him to the vet around 2 pm. He didn’t have a temperature and they did a snap parvo testand it came back positive. The vet gave him an anti-nausea shot and he drank some water right after, which he held down, slept but then got some energy back and ate some scrambled eggs later on.
Is it possible that this was a false-positive since he just got vaccinated 5 days ago and is a very small dog?
The vet said snap parvo test are accurate and don’t get false-positive readings. What’s your opinion?
November 21st, 2011 at 1:10 am
Jenn,
We’re sorry to hear about your Maltipoo.
In spite of what vets will tell you, vaccinations do cause the very thing they are meant to protect against, and this includes Parvo. A former vaccine developer has admitted this publicly! See http://www.ParvoBuster.com/blog/parvo-vaccinations/vaccines-lower-immunity for details.
We hear cases similar to yours on almost a daily basis – dogs who are vaccinated showing full Parvo symptoms anywhere from a few hours later, to a few days later.
And it is our experience too that the snap test can generate a false positive result (as well as a false negative). (For example, a Campylobacter infection can return a positive Parvo result.)
Regardless, our policy is that if it looks like Parvo, then it’s best to treat it like Parvo, as the one thing you don’t have with this virus is time – it can claim a dog’s live all too quickly.
We therefore recommend you order a Parvo Treatment Kit (http://www.ParvoEmergencyTreatment.com/parvo-treatment-product-calculator.php#) immediately, and once you’ve placed your order, you’ll be able to download your copy of our comprehensive Parvo Treatment Guide, which contains all the information, including home remedies and dosage instructions, that you need. And even though we can’t get your order to you until Tuesday, assuming you place your order before 2:00pm MST (i.e. GMT – 7) tomorrow (i.e. Monday), you need to start with the home remedies at once if you are to give your puppy the best chance of survival.
Whatever you decide to do, we hope he pulls through OK.
November 28th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
I have a 3 month old, 4lb Shih-Tzu who has had 2 series of shots. Over the past 2 days he has vomited (2x on the first day) but has refused to eat since then. He is drinking alot of water, and has regular urine/bowel movements. He is very lethargic and wants to sleep all the time. This is not typical of him at all. He has had no change in diet/food or been exposed to any sick pets/people. He is a house dog who is house trained. Could he have parvo? My in-laws are saying to induce vomiting with raw eggs, is this wise? Money is tight, so any home remedies will be appreciated. Thank you
November 28th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
Angel,
We’re sorry to hear about your Shih Tzu.
Some of his symptoms do sound like Parvo, but the problem is that not all dogs get all of the classic symptoms, they don’t always appear in the same order, and there are many other causes of such symptoms.
However, in our extensive experience, Parvo shots can and do give dogs full-blown Parvo, although vets will, of course, deny that this can happen. Having said that, if you read the following blog post, you’ll see that a former vaccine developer has admitted that vaccines “can actually cause the disease they are supposed to prevent”: http://www.parvobuster.com/blog/parvo-vaccinations/vaccines-lower-immunity
As to how or if he’s been exposed, then the problem here is that it’s such an easily transmitted virus. For example, you can walk it into the house on your shoes without even knowing, or it may be spread by birds, flies or other insects. In fact, Parvo is classified as “ubiquitous”, which basically means it’s everywhere, and it takes a really, really tiny amount to infect a dog.
And if a dog’s immune system has been compromised (e.g. by vaccines, traditional dewormers, heartworm medications, or poor quality dog food – see http://TriumphDogFood.com/ to find out what we feed our dogs, and be sure to watch the video on the home page), then it will be so much easier for the virus to take hold.
So, we would have to say that it’s entirely possible he may have Parvo.
Regarding your in-laws’ advice to induce vomiting by feeding him raw eggs, then we believe that is very bad and dangerous advice indeed.
One of Parvo’s main imitators is a very nasty bacterial infection called Campylobacter – the symptoms are almost identical to Parvo, and it can generate a positive Parvo test, although it should not be treated in the same way. This bacteria can be spread in a number of ways (e.g. by mosquitoes), but the main way is via poultry products (e.g. chicken, turkey, duck and, of course, eggs), regardless of the format in which they are sold. This means that dog food bought at the store might already be infected with Campylobacter, as has been known to happen, but our advice is always to stay away from any poultry-based products, including meat, eggs, baby food and soup/broth. This is also one reason why we cannot support a raw food diet – one of our customers had a dog that contracted Campylobacter because somebody who was looking after it for them gave it raw chicken (although following our recommendation to have it checked for this bacteria, as they thought it was Parvo, they were able to get the correct treatment and their dog pulled through).
Just as giving raw (or undercooked) eggs to humans who are “at risk” (e.g. infants, the elderly, and anybody who is already sick) is never recommended, the same applies to animals too, and whatever it is that your Shih Tzu has, he clearly is not 100% healthy right now.
In conclusion, our usual policy is that if it looks like Parvo, then you’d better assume it is and begin treatment immediately, because if you just wait and see, it may be too late – Parvo is very aggressive and you don’t have any time to waste.
So, although we appreciate your financial situation, the products we sell are very good value, especially compared to what most vets charge, and provided that people follow the instructions in our Parvo Treatment Guide (which you can download immediately after placing your order), we expect a 90% success rate.
If you go to our main website, at http://www.ParvoEmergencyTreatment.com/, you’ll be able to see which products you need.
Whatever you decide to do, we hope he recovers quickly.
December 13th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Hey my 9 wk old puppy is showing signs of parvo. This will be the 2nd time he has contracted the virus. Is that possible? He had it about 4 wks ago and I treated him at home with antibiotics and iv fluids. I work at a animal hospital so I know I am taking the virus home with me. He has only been able to get his 1st set of shots so far. My main question is do you think a puppy can get the virus more than once?
December 13th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Ashley,
We’re sorry to hear about your puppy.
Out of the thousands of dogs we’ve helped treat, there have only been two so far that have caught Parvo twice. In both cases, the dogs had first got it several years previously, and we suspect that what was happening was that they were first infected with an earlier strain of Parvo (e.g. 2a or 2b), and then were subsequently re-infected by the more virulent 2c strain. Both dogs showed typical symptoms, but not as badly as you would usually expect, which leads us to believe that they had partial immunity to the new strain.
However, this is clearly not the case with you.
If he had his shots after the first bout of Parvo, then that could trigger a re-infection – after all, vaccinations are basically injecting a ton of viral particles into a dog’s body, and if he hadn’t fully recovered, then it may just have given the virus a second opportunity to take hold again.
Something else that we see on a regular basis (almost every day) is Parvo shots actually giving a dog Parvo – i.e. regardless of whether the dog had previously been infected. This is just one of many reasons why we do not believe in vaccinations – even a former vaccination developer has confirmed that vaccinations can cause the very problem they’re meant to prevent; see http://www.ParvoBuster.com/blog/parvo-vaccinations/vaccines-lower-immunity for more information.
Another possibility, although perhaps less likely, is that he has some other illness that imitates Parvo. For example, Campylobacter is a bacterial infection that generates more or less identical symptoms to Parvo (although it needs to be treated differently, typically using specific antibiotics that are not the same as those administered for Parvo); it can even create a positive Parvo test. This bacteria is usually contracted through infected poultry products, which is why we advise not giving sick animals any chicken, turkey, duck, goose or eggs, in any format whatsoever (e.g. raw meat, cooked meat, broth, baby food), although it can also be spread by mosquitoes, for example.
Anyway, our policy is that if it looks like Parvo, you should treat it as though it is, because if you play a “wait and see” game, it can be too late.
You can find out what you need on our main Parvo site, at http://www.ParvoEmergencyTreatment.com/
We hope that he recovers soon.