Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We just adopted a 5 month old doberman puppy from the humane society, and have some concerns. Her vet check is thursday, and I just thought I'd ask here and maybe get some answers sooner.

First off, she's sleeping like 18 hours a day - is this normal? Shouldn't a puppy be more active?

We brought her home saturday morning, and she hasn't eaten much, but has nibbled a little. Is this just stress?

She's thrown up three times yesterday - no food chunks, just water/saliva. Is this because she isn't eating much?

Like I said, we have an appointment with the vet in a few days, but I thought I would ask anyway.

>>We just adopted a 5 month old doberman puppy from the humane society, and have some concerns. Her vet check is thursday, and I just thought I'd ask here and maybe get some answers sooner.
>>
>>First off, she's sleeping like 18 hours a day - is this normal? Shouldn't a puppy be more active?
>>
>>We brought her home saturday morning, and she hasn't eaten much, but has nibbled a little. Is this just stress?
>>
>>She's thrown up three times yesterday - no food chunks, just water/saliva. Is this because she isn't eating much?
>>
>>Like I said, we have an appointment with the vet in a few days, but I thought I would ask anyway.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

I would take the pup in now, no waiting. A puppy should not be lethargic, should be eating and should not be vomiting. Puppies can go down very fast. Should be seen by a vet in first 24-48 hours if healthy, and all the more since this puppy is not healthy. Thursday is too long to wait.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

I agree - don't wait till Thursday, take that puppy in now. If the vet's office tries to put you off, just tell them you are on your way - they will fit you in. If not, then find a new vet!!

Puppy may be very tired from the stress, but they usually bounce back very fast - one good nap, and they are good to go! The not eating would have me very worried when combined with the vomiting - I'd be worried about a possible obstruction.

Ok, glad I listened to you guys, instead of waiting. I took her in, and it turns out that she has parvo. So far, she's had an IV, some antibiotics, and an anti-nausia shot. I take her back in today for a parasite test, and a checkup. I'll keep you guys posted to how she's doing. (She's not doing too bad right now, she's re-hydrated, more energetic, but still has diarrhea.) Poor girl.

I'm glad you took her in - she could have easily died before tomorrow! Hope everything continues to improve for her and she is healthy again soon.

>>Ok, glad I listened to you guys, instead of waiting. I took her in, and it turns out that she has parvo. So far, she's had an IV, some antibiotics, and an anti-nausia shot. I take her back in today for a parasite test, and a checkup. I'll keep you guys posted to how she's doing. (She's not doing too bad right now, she's re-hydrated, more energetic, but still has diarrhea.) Poor girl.

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If the vet wants to hospitalize her, do that immediately. It quite often is the difference between life and death for a puppy with parvo. A puppy who has the symptoms and isn't hospitalized and yet survives, in many cases actually has coronavirus rather than parvo. Parvo is very hard to beat in a puppy unless she is in the hospital. The only way to be sure whether it's parvo or corona is by blood titre.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

She's been hospitalized since wed. When we took her to the emergency vet, they ran a parvo test, and it came back a weak positive. They gave her the subcutaneous fluids, and we took her back to our vet first thing in the morning. She's been hospitalized for two days now - and we get to take her home today!

>>She's been hospitalized since wed. When we took her to the emergency vet, they ran a parvo test, and it came back a weak positive. They gave her the subcutaneous fluids, and we took her back to our vet first thing in the morning. She's been hospitalized for two days now - and we get to take her home today!

>>>>>>>>>>

Excellent. The hospitalized pups usually survive, and the unhospitalized ones usually don't. You did the right thing.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47