My dog has parvo. Is it okay for him to drink water when infected?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Parvovirus is a severe gastroenteritis that affect puppies more often. This is a viral infection so there is no direct treatment for the virus so the treatment per se is directed at treating secondary bacterial infections and mostly helping with the clinical symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea and inappetence. This warrants ideally hospitalization with some cases being able to be managed with outpatient care depending on its severity. I recommend that you follow up with a veterinarian who can institute therapy for Loki as soon as possible. The quicker this condition gets treated the better the outcome tends to be. Good luck! Hoping for a quick recovery!  

I'm so sorry to hear that Roxanne is feeling so poorly. No, do not stop her from drinking water, but instead of leaving full bowls of water out, try offering her just a few tablespoons of water every hour. If she starts being able to keep this down, you can gradually increase the amount that you're offering. The fact that she's still so thirsty may indicate that she's still quite dehydrated, despite the fluids under the skin. If you're unable to hospitalize her for IV fluids, you may want to ask your vet if they think she should be receiving a larger volume of the subcutaneous fluids under the skin. I hope that she feels better soon!

The poops look good for a dog with parvo. They should continue to get more solid as Oreo continues to recover. If he wants water, you can give him a bowl of water. I would only offer a few ounces at a time to avoid causing nausea. You can offer a few ounces of water or pedialyte every 2 hours. You can also start to offer moist food in small "meatball" sizes every 2 hours.

It takes about a week or so for the infection to run its course. Ace may shed virus for weeks afterwards. A good percentage of puppies that survive the first 3 or 4 days of infection usually recover. Without a physical exam, we cannot say if he is recovering or not. Continue to medicate him as directed by your veterinarian. Make sure Ace is eating and drinking. You can offer unflavored PediaLyte or your vet can show you how to administer subcutaneous fluids. Be sure to sanitize or discard bedding, toys, bowls, etc. Keep him isolated from other unvaccinated puppies.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. So sorry to hear that Nova has parvo but it sounds like you are doing a good job treating her. Just have water available for her to drink if she wants it. She may not be interested in drinking because you are giving the SQ fluids. The biggest thing that seems to help recovery in parvo cases is to get them eating as soon as possible. So, if you can try feeding her some canned puppy food that would be best. The chicken is OK but it does not have all the nutrients and vitamins needed to help her recover quickly. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

It's definitely a good sign that she is drinking water. Even if they get adequate amounts of fluids IV, they can still feel parched and want to drink occasionally. This does not indicate that she is dehydrated and is good that she's helping to keep hydrated. The IV fluids, or other methods of hydration should still be given as directed by your vet though. To asses hydration, I recommend you read the article at the link below. https://www.petcoach.co/article/assessing-dehydration-through-skin-elasticity-in-dogs-cats/ I hope that helps and Ripley gets better soon.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Luna has parvovirus but I'm happy to hear you are getting her treatment. Your veterinarian may have recommended to hold off food for a little bit to reduce the risk of her vomiting it back up. I would contact them to clarify the timeline that they recommended these things. Generally, withholding food for 8-12 hours is sufficient. Also, we do not generally recommend preventing dogs from drinking water. I would allow her access to water, and call your veterinarian to have them clarify why and for how long they don't want Luna to have food. I hope this is helpful!