Will A Dog With Parvo Drink Water?
No, dogs with parvo tend to turn down water. This infection can cause your dog’s thirst to decrease. It also damages the epithelial cells in their intestine making them incapable of absorbing and holding down water. This condition can lead to severe dehydration if left untreated.
And in fact, dehydration is the leading cause of death in dogs infected with this parvo.
Just because your parvo-infected pet refuses to drink water doesn’t mean you should do nothing about it. Dogs with parvo are placed on fluid therapy to reverse the effects of dehydration, without which the condition can become fatal.
About 40ml/kg of fluids must be administered subcutaneously once every 8 hours to maintain their fluid balance. However, absorption from beneath the skin can become difficult in severe cases of infection due to poor circulation. In such cases, you must take the dog to a vet and have fluids administered intravenously. Veterinarians mostly recommend isotonic crystalloids during fluid therapy.
Once vomiting stops for 6-12 hours, you can introduce fluids orally through a catheter syringe at a frequency of 2-4 ml/pound every hour. This, however, does not give you a green signal to make them drink a lot of water. Their system is still weak, so drinking too much water can make them sick again.
Dog With Parvo Drinking Water But Not Eating
In parvoviral enteritis, it takes time for the lost appetite to return. If your dog with parvo is drinking water but not eating, it is likely that he is in the early or recovery stage. It’s important that you take a trip to your vet if you are yet to. There are various ways to boost their appetite and get some nutrients into their body. You can try boiling chicken and giving them the strained water to drink. You can also add vitamins or other supplements available in powder form to water and feed them. If they turn them down, you must talk to your vet and plan further actions.
Where the Parvo Odor Comes From
This bleeding is what gives your puppy the hallmark “parvo odor” of a rotten blood smell. Keeping the puppys intestines coated will help soothe the irritation and bleeding.