Very often, when a dog has a bloody stool...or when a dog dies with a bloody stool, Parvo virus is blamed even though the dog has been injected with the vaccine. Vaccination failure is oftentimes used as the explanation. I find this a convenient scapegoat of an ignorant vet.
I have been breeding Pomeranians for more than 33 years and during my earlier days, when this happens, I would panic and bring my Pomeranian to the vet. Most of the time, they will do a series of blood tests(Complete blood count, etc etc...which is going to be an expensive vet bill) and the said blood tests are not really a test for parvo, making the dog weak and usually they die. Especially, for a Pomeranian puppy which is quite small, extracting blood at this critical time when they are down will only make matters worse. And when the puppy dies, parvo virus is the culprit.
In this connection, I thought I would share what I would usually do TODAY regarding this issue where I have had good results. Some vets, may disagree, but I thought I would share this BREED SPECIFIC PROTOCOL for anyone interested to read... and follow. This may not applicable to other canine breeds.
First: If anyone maintains a kennel of dogs or wants to be a dog breeder, learning to vaccinate your own dog is usually an option you could consider. Sourcing your vaccination from a reputable supplier is so important because if improperly stored, the vaccine becomes ineffective.
All puppies should be vaccinated with parvo vaccine at 6, 9, 12, 16 weeks....NOT 2 shots. The first 2 shots are injected without the lepto portion, I use distilled water instead of the lepto portion. The reason for this is that the lepto portion of the vaccine easily brings the immune system of a small Pomeranian puppy down and I believe it does more harm than good. Furthermore, lepto has to do with exposure to the urine of rats and at that age such a young Pomeranian puppy is quite well isolated. The last two shots are done with the lepto portion during which time the Pomeranian puppy is older being 3 months old and stronger to withstand the immune downing lepto vaccine. The last puppy shot should be at least at the age of 16 weeks and it is only then that the puppy shot becomes permanent. Following this protocol will make the puppy very safe against parvo virus/etc and it is very very unlikely for them to catch it. Vaccination failure is highly unlikely.
Second: During this time, in between the parvo vaccinations, the puppy should be dewormed and this is only done when the puppy is healthy and strong..when the puppy does not have any signs of diarrhea which could be deadly for the puppy. I usually would deworm using Combatrin which is a safe human preparation starting at 4 weeks with monthly thereafter. (My bitches has been dewormed prior to breeding and kept away from soil and grass, and therefore, their puppies should hopefully be worm free.) The deworming is really poisoning the worms and at the same the puppy itself...so this will weaken a puppy for some time so this should be done not less than 3 days before a vaccination or at least 1 week after the vaccination.
Others may want to do it initially at 10-14 days interval to be sure. A bloody stool may be due to worms!
Third: Having done the above, you must be very sharp in observing your Pomeranian puppy. They are very sensitive to stress..... weaning a puppy for its mother, a new place or surroundings, a new owner, over exposure to people or too much playing ,the summer heat, changes in temperature, a change in food, an overpopulated dog room,.........all these and more other reasons can cause stress to the heartbreaker Pomeranian puppy. If, and when this happens, it is best to be able to detect the situation and immediate action is crucial to the survival of the Pomeranian puppy. Inaction could lead to diarrhea, dehydration. Eventually, a bloody stool, oftentimes mistaken for parvo, ....death.
So, how can you tell if a puppy is being affected by STRESS? Any time the Pomeranian puppy has sad eyes, inactive sitting silently in a corner without pep, loose stool, dehydrated with a loose skin at the back, loss of appetite...this is STRESS! Wake up!.......I would IMMEDIATELY
Oftentimes, with Albon, they become immune to the stressful situation(so to speak)) ...and in the case of those exhibiting the negative signs mentioned earlier, you can quickly see some definite improvements. If the diarrhea does not stop/or at least improve in 4-6 hours or if the stool has blood, I would additionally administer FLAGYL immediately without waiting. Again, expectedly, there should be some quick improvement, otherwise, the next suspect would be worms! In which case, deworm when the puppy is stronger.
(Most other Philippine vets would use another sulfa antibiotic, Bactrin. Unfortunately, ALBON is not available in the Philippines but you can order this directly with many catalogue companies like ANIMAL REVIVAL. I will eventually make this available thru the Philippine Pomeranian Club.)
If you really want to be sure if your puppy has parvo, I am told there is a parvo test. If it is really parvo, the chances of survival is very low. My vet has experimentally used the parvo serum but success rate has been 50-50. Putting the dog on IV is still a must in addition to other medications.
Medication Details
COMBATRIN(Pyrantel) 125mg/5ml Textbooks suggests 2-3 weeks old and 10-14 days thereafter. Since my bitches has been dewormed(Drontal) prior to breeding plus the fact that Pomeranians are not as more stress prone than other breeds, I do my deworming at 4 weeks when they are stronger. Then, I do it monthly thereafter. Needless to say, if you see worms in the stool, you have to repeat the following deworming earlier like 10 days. If you see rice like sediments on the stool, that is tapeworm which comes from teaks... you should use another kind of dewormer like Drontal.
ALBON or DI-METHOX(Sulfadimethoxine)12.5% solution Antibacterial(For Oral Use in Chicken, Turkey & Cattle) Mix 10 ml of this solution plus 40ml water plus 40ml honey makes the solution to be administered. This 80ml additive is given so that the taste is not so bad. You may try another kind of additive that will camouflage the taste of ALBON. Once mixed, this should be refrigerated and used only for a few days. 2.5 ml/kg Day 1 Twice; Day 2 to Day 7 Once
FLAGYL(Metromadazole)25mg/ml suspension 2ml/kg Day 1: Twice Day 2-7 Once
May 20,2010...........................................................................................................................................