Illness

The last few days have been hard ones for the puppies.  A few of the puppies had loose stool on Wednesday The largest puppy, Buddha, was lethargic, dehydrated, and not interested in food late Wednesday night.

Judith stayed up all night feeding him small bits of formula every half hour and took him to All Creatures Animal Hospital here in Pahrump first thing in the morning.  Their vet checked for Parvo- a disease that is very easy for young dogs to get, and very hard for them to survive.  The test came back negative, which is a very good thing.  Unfortunately the vet did not have any other ideas on what the problem might be. She was unable to give us any advice on treating the illness or on how to keep it from spreading to the rest of the litter.  We were disappointed in the level of assistance that she offered us.  On the plus side, our plan to keep Buddha hydrated by feeding him small amounts frequently has worked quite well.  By the time he returned from the vet he was bouncing around wanting to play and tonight he is nearly back to his own feisty self!

Several other puppies have been showing similar symptoms since then, but none of them as bad as Buddha's.  We are treating them by small frequent feedings and watching carefully for signs of dehydration and diarrhea.  The most important thing to do in a situation like this is pay close attention.  If you can catch the symptoms of an illness at the very beginning it is much easier to treat.  For young puppies staying hydrated is very important, so making sure they get enough fluids is probably the best way to get them back to health!