Afraid my puppy may die!

by Melanie
(Michiagan)

My brand new puppy i got from the dog pound(lab-terrier mix)has been in and out of the vet she was diagnosed with parvo and she made it through that even though it made her extremely weak.

Two days later she was diagnosed with kennel cough the vet put her on two different kinds of meds but with how weak she is i'm afraid she's gonna die. Nothing is helping her. I even have to force feed her.





Hi Melanie
I'm so sorry to hear about what's happening with your puppy, it must be very frightening and upsetting.

Canine Parvovirus is a very serious disease and it can take weeks, or months, for a puppy to recover. As your pup made it through the 'acute' phase she must be a fighter and pretty strong, so hopefully she will also survive her bout of kennel cough.

Kennel Cough is one of the fairly common dog illnesses that puppies are vulnerable to, especially pups who have been in an environment where there are a lot of other dogs - such as kennels, pounds, rescue centers, boarding facilities etc.

However, it's generally not life-threatening and the biggest risk if from secondary infections (such as pneumonia) and it sounds as though your vet has given her antibiotics to combat this type of complication which is good.

If she's so weak that she won't eat at all, then I'd recommend asking your vet about giving her an IV for fluids/nutrition, even if only for a few days to get her strength up. You may also want to give her something like Nutri Cal - this is a vitamin and mineral rich paste which is very nutritious and easy to digest. It's often used for newborn puppies, or pups/dogs who are sick or recovery from an illness.

Other than that just let her rest as much as she needs, and call your vet if you are worried at all. Hopefully she will make it through this and grow up healthy and strong.

I wish you both the best of luck.