I Need Prayers...My German Shepherd has Parvo.
- Thread starter marine33
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I don't think force feeding works. With a post-surgery pet, I had some luck feeding her one kibble at a time,
not that this supplied much nutrition, but it gets them chewing and swallowing so they get back in that pattern.
They begin thinking about eating, and sometimes that prompts the behavior. Much encouragement to Shadow.
You have to sit very quietly and offer one tidbit at a time, at a very slow cadence. It might take more than one
go-around to get her started. Sit quietly, talk softly, that sort of thing.
not that this supplied much nutrition, but it gets them chewing and swallowing so they get back in that pattern.
They begin thinking about eating, and sometimes that prompts the behavior. Much encouragement to Shadow.
You have to sit very quietly and offer one tidbit at a time, at a very slow cadence. It might take more than one
go-around to get her started. Sit quietly, talk softly, that sort of thing.
She'll eat when her digestive tract is ready for it. Patience. 
Make her some nice meat and oatmeal broth. Cook it up and strain out the broth. It is often called oatmeal gruel. Give it to her warm (not hot)as the smell will entice her to want to lap it up. The oatmeal will be wonderful and healing for the bowels. Remember that Parvo attacks the lining of the digestive tract, so much in fact that it actually bleeds. That is some serious irritation and any real foods will be way too tough for her to handle.
As long as she is getting the electrolytes from the Pediolyte she will be fine without food. The hamburg/oatmeal gruel will be a great addition though. I was glad to see your got the unflavored Pediolyte too.
Once she does get her appetite back use caution not to over feed her. Small amounts at a time.
Brush her, talk to her, pet her, lay with her and give her the best medicine in the world: LOVE.
Stay strong and stay positive!
Make her some nice meat and oatmeal broth. Cook it up and strain out the broth. It is often called oatmeal gruel. Give it to her warm (not hot)as the smell will entice her to want to lap it up. The oatmeal will be wonderful and healing for the bowels. Remember that Parvo attacks the lining of the digestive tract, so much in fact that it actually bleeds. That is some serious irritation and any real foods will be way too tough for her to handle.
As long as she is getting the electrolytes from the Pediolyte she will be fine without food. The hamburg/oatmeal gruel will be a great addition though. I was glad to see your got the unflavored Pediolyte too.
Once she does get her appetite back use caution not to over feed her. Small amounts at a time.
Brush her, talk to her, pet her, lay with her and give her the best medicine in the world: LOVE.
Stay strong and stay positive!
Perique quoted:
Another note on this: American dogs must be the least healthy on the world, fed on a steady diet of corn by-products, scrap from the factory floor, and blood.
I suggest cooking your own dog food and supplementing with fresh bones. Anyone interested in how to do this, PM me and I'll shoot you a basic recipe.
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He is spot on. Almost all commercial dog foods are horrible. I stopped buying that junk 20 years ago and have fed my GSD's raw meats and bones with marrow plus Solid Gold dry dogfood. Pricey? Hell yeah. But worth every penny. My animals are like kids to me and deserve only the best. Give Shadow a big hug for me, will ya?
Another note on this: American dogs must be the least healthy on the world, fed on a steady diet of corn by-products, scrap from the factory floor, and blood.
I suggest cooking your own dog food and supplementing with fresh bones. Anyone interested in how to do this, PM me and I'll shoot you a basic recipe.
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He is spot on. Almost all commercial dog foods are horrible. I stopped buying that junk 20 years ago and have fed my GSD's raw meats and bones with marrow plus Solid Gold dry dogfood. Pricey? Hell yeah. But worth every penny. My animals are like kids to me and deserve only the best. Give Shadow a big hug for me, will ya?
A little TLC and help from a vet usually does it. Have a 7 yr old Am Bulldog ish. Was a litle guy, had really bad demodectic mange. Later he got valley fever while still fighting the mange. He stunk and was a giant puss ball, everyone said put him to sleep. BUT he never quite so we did not either. Took a bit but finally all the different meds kicked in and he pulled through. Ended up costing $1000 but was worth it. He's a great dog and loves our daughter. Hang in there all the stress will be worth it when its all over with.
GL to you it's a hard thing to deal with. Our cat went down on the 4th of July with a blockage in his urine canal, it cost us a grand because we had to hit up the only vet open in Maryland that day. For great pets it's worth it though.
GREAT UPDATE!!!!!!
Just got back from the vet cause I just wanted shadow to get checked and make sure she is hydrated. The Vet said I think she is going to pull through this and she said I'd say 85-90 % that she's gonna make it!!!! I can not thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I am gonna start a new thread just as a update so everyone can see and know just how powerful prayers are and I am forever indebted to you all. I will post some pics later.
One true happy Marine33---------Richard
Just got back from the vet cause I just wanted shadow to get checked and make sure she is hydrated. The Vet said I think she is going to pull through this and she said I'd say 85-90 % that she's gonna make it!!!! I can not thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I am gonna start a new thread just as a update so everyone can see and know just how powerful prayers are and I am forever indebted to you all. I will post some pics later.
One true happy Marine33---------Richard
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