Can parvovirus stunt my puppy's growth or cause future health issues?

I’m glad to hear Max has recovered! Parvo can affect the overall adult size but feeding him a proper diet will help to counteract its effects. You should feed him a large breed puppy food but do not give him any supplements. Large breed puppy foods are fortified with the proper amount of calcium, phosphorus and protein. Providing additional calcium and phosphorus can actually hurt his bone structure and cause severe growth abnormalities. Omega-3 fatty acids for dogs are fine to supplement with and this will help to decrease any inflammation in his body and also improve the coat and skin health. The foods I recommend are: Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy. This is my favorite diet for German Shepherd‘s as it is formulated to meet their growth needs and also takes into account their sensitive digestive systems. Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy formula. Nutro large breed puppy formula. Science Diet large breed puppy formula. Eukanuba large breed puppy formula. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Puppies who are affected by serious disease during their crucial growth phases can experience as much as a 50% decrease in adult size when compared to puppies who did not experience disease. There are no medications that can help Tyson to grow larger. The best things you can do at this point are to make sure he remains parasites free so make sure to have his stool checked every 3 months for parasites and keep up with his routine deworming. Nutrition will also play a large role in his development. Large breed puppies need to eat diets formulated for large breed puppies. This helps to ensure that they grow and develop properly. I recommend Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy. It will ensure even, normal growth and is very easy to digest. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I'm sorry to hear that Bruno has been so sick. It is difficult for us to know what the problem is without more information and reviewing the blood work. A consultation may be more beneficial for you in that we can ask questions and you can upload the bloodwork for us to review. It is possible that Bruno is still fighting off parvovirus, but he may have also developed a new infection has parvo virus affects the immune system as well.

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!  

There are a few possibilities. He could still be recovering from the parvo disease and will start gaining weight soon. He could be a mixed breed and just have a small adult size that he's getting to (and from his picture, he doesn't look like a pure lab to me, although it's impossible to tell from looks alone), or he could have an endocrine issue that he preventing him from growing normally. If he is otherwise normal, I would recommend giving him another month to work on growing, otherwise, schedule a vet visit to talk about possible testing. Good luck! He's quite a cutie.

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.

Parvovirus is difficult to treat, mostly because it requires extensive fluid and nutritional support. There is no medication that will cure the virus, and treatment is supportive until the puppy clears the virus naturally. It depends heavily on when treatment starts and how far along in the infection the puppy was. Parvovirus damages the intestinal lining, which results in watery diarrhea and an inability of the puppy to absorb nutrients from food. The good news is that the intestinal lining replenishes itself every few days or so, so there is no chronic damage to the intestine. Puppies who recover from parvo can go on to live perfectly normal lives, but may be a little skinnier that other puppies their age. If you are planning to adopt Penny, I recommend making sure she has been symptom free and is eating/drinking on her own before bringing her home to avoid her becoming dehydrated or lethargic. I hope this helps and wish you luck!