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August 8, 2007

STRYKER'S BATTLE WITH PARVO

June 13, 2008 02:12 PM EDT (Updated: February 16, 2009 01:15 PM EST)

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Fighter From The Beginning

Stryker was born late, on a cold March afternoon. His Dam wasn't expected to deliver for another two days. As a first time mom, I knew she'd be both anxious and confused. I had instructed my 13 year old son on what to do if she should have her pups before I got home-make sure the sac was removed from the babies faces and get them in the whelping house if they were born in the yard, which isn't unusual for first time moms to do. Jake had assisted me during birth before and has always been there to handle the pups on a daily basis. His job, was to check on Freckles daily as soon as he got home, make sure she had plenty of water and food, clean out the whelping yard and put down fresh hay where needed. He did so this day too. No pups so, he went inside.

An hour later, he was in my home office playing computer games and talking to his friend on the phone. The Dane pens are in clear view of my office window. The Whelping houses are only about a 120 feet from the house. He heard a high pitched yipping and not sure what was going on, stepped outside to investigate. Sure enough, Freckles was having her pups and of course not in the warm, well prepared Whelping house, but in the whelping yard. Birth of the first 3 puppies was very quick and by the time he had gotten out there, three crying pups were on the ground. Now, it's one thing to do this birthing stuff with your mom, and totally another to be faced with it alone. I was on my way home but still about 25 minutes away, when I received a panicked call from Jake. I could hear the pups in the background as I reminded him what to do. I made in home in less than 20 minutes-thank God no highway patrol was on my stretch of the road.

The Oven Baby

Jake removed the sac from faces of the pups and put the last born in the whelping house and was trying to get Freckles to calm down and stay inside. He was able to get the second pup in the house, but Freckles wasn't cooperating. Needless to say, if a pup is still outside screaming it's tiny head off, the Dam isn't going to acquiescence to staying in the whelping house and take care of the two she has with her, no, she is going to go to the tiny scrap yelling it's head off in the whelping yard. That tiny scrap with the lungs of an opera singer was Stryker. I pulled in the drive just in time to see Jake trying to haul Freckles, a 180 lb Great Dane, into the Whelping house. Even going straight to the whelping yard, we almost lost Stryker. He was cold, stiff, and still half in the birth sac, but still vocal. While Jake ran in the house to warm a towel in the microwave, I went to work on Stryker. Cleared the mucus and dried him off with the warm towel and sent Jake in for another clean warm towel to wrap him in.

With Stryker wrapped in a warm towel and under my shirt resting on my chest, I showed freckles how to clean up the 4th pup born. She's smart and now calm, and did a fine job. I pulled out Stryker with the idea of placing him by his mom when I noticed he was still stiff and his body temperature was too cold. He was still like a little 4 lb ice cube. I had Jake go in and turn my kitchen oven on and set the temperature to 200 degrees. After assuring myself that no new pups were imminent, and knowing that Freckles was now calm enough to handle one if it should come, I took Stryker in the house. I have a cabinet of towels just for times like this. I nestled Stryker in a warm bed of towels and on the top shelf in my oven with the oven door open. This is where Stryker stayed for the next half hour. This is why we call him our oven baby.

Fighting For Life

He is a fighter, my little Stryker. A feisty alpha male. Funny, curious, and very clear on his boundaries. Out of the litter, it was he that first growled at not even 24 hours old. He had his own area on mom's chest and by God, there better not be anyone there or he'd dig them out with his little paws and push them away. It is rather comical to hear something that tiny growl, but with 8 litter mates, a guy has got to set his boundaries or get lost in the crowd. Stryker never gets lost in the crowd.

Stryker's strong will and fighting spirit is a good thing. He's now in the fight for his life. He has Parvo. A deadly virus for which there is no cure. All that can be done is treat the symptoms and keep him hydrated while we do so.

Vaccinations-timing is everything.

Stryker and his litter mates received two rounds of Parvovirus vaccinations. While two does arm the puppies somewhat, they are still so susceptible until their final shots. I say susceptible, largely because their immune systems are still developing. If your dam is vaccinated and in good health, her antibodies transfer over to the pups in her colostrum and milk. That only helps until they are roughly 6 weeks old. This is when we start their vaccinations and give them every two weeks: 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10 weeks, 12 weeks and a final shot 16 weeks, at which time they can also receive their Rabies shot.

Many new pet owners are under the mistaken impression that 3 rounds of vaccinations/shots, coupled with wormings and that's all they have to do, it's done This is incorrect and can be a fatal assumption. They will receive their 3rd shot at 9 or 10 weeks, depending upon when the vaccinations are started. Most puppies go to they're new homes between 6-8 weeks of age. Not enough time to have built up strong immunities. I don't like to let my Great Danes go to their new homes until they've had their 3rd shot. Granted that 3rd shot may come the day they are to be picked up but, less than 3 shots just isn't safe, in my opinion. They're still too vulnerable to diseases like Parvo that young. Ideally they shouldn't leave the safe environs of their kennels until they've had at least 3 shots. New pet owners are told they've received and are current on their shots. That's true; they are current up to that point, but by no means finished.

New Pet Owners-things to do before and after you've brought them home.

Whether you adopt a puppy, or any animal, the local SPCA or from a kennel it's vital you follow through on proper care of your new little one.

Now, I have a contract that I have my buyers sign. It's detailed and I include general pup care. When people contact me by e-mail or by phone about my pups the first thing I ask them is whether or not they've had a Great Dane before. If not, I ask them to look the breed up. Educate yourself on the animal you are interested in, not just "I gotta have one cause I saw one in the Park or a friend or family member has one." Know your breed. What care is involved? What are the health problems unique to this breed? What foods and exercise is needed. Is your Veterinarian familiar with the quirks of the breed? Can you live with this size when it's full grown? For pedigreed dogs, www.akc.org is a wonderful resource. Highly respected as a registry and in care of your dog, finding obedience classes, medical issues, etc. Google the breed and you'll find pages of information. Google pet care and you get the same.

Be prepared. Know the supplies you will need. Have a leash and collar, a supply of the food it's accustomed to, food and water dishes. If you are going to crate train your puppy, have the appropriate size crate available when you bring your puppy home. What about toys and especially chew toys? Puppies chew everything and almost anything; so give them an alternative to your brand new leather shoes. Have you removed plants that can be toxic from their reach? Taken care of the computer wires, lamp cords etc, in such a way they can't get to them and chew on them?

Within 48 hours you should have your pup into your Veterinarian's office for a full check up. Call before you even pick up your new pet and make an appointment. You should have the shot records from the breeder, pet store, or SPCA to hand to your vet to start your pups medical records for that office. Follow your Veterinarian's instructions. Especially with regards to shots and wormings.

No matter how wonderful and cute you think your new guy is, do not take this puppy into dangerous situations that can overwhelm it's little immune system. Let me define what is dangerous for a puppy that is 6-9 weeks old. Taking the pup where other dogs congregate. To a house of a friend unless you know they've their dogs are current with vaccinations. The local Pets Mart where animals are welcomed. Limit their socializations until they've had their last round of shots at 16 weeks. Most obedience classes for puppies require participants to provide proof of current vaccinations before they're allowed in. Very wise. I've heard new pet owners complain about a kennel not giving their puppies vaccinations and bad mouth them because their pup has come down with something like Parvovirus. That may not be the fault of the Kennel, Pet Store, or SPCA, but yours, because you didn't arm yourself with the proper information listed here.

Stryker's Battle

I'm very careful with my animals. Sometimes, despite the best of care, things happen. Stryker has been in intensive care with my Vet since Tuesday when he first started showing subtle signs that he was not well. We were able to pinpoint how, who, and when Parvo came to my house. It's been 12 days. I've lost 4 pups out of a litter of 8. As of today, Friday June 13th, he is still alive and still battling. He's not out of the woods yet. We're still dealing with bloody diarrhea. He's on his 7th liter of fluids as of this morning. Stryker's a fighter. He's fighting hard for his life but still considered in critical condition. This morning he was up and moving around his intensive care enclosure. That's a good sign. He's alert, responsive, has good color in his gums, and is need of a bath. Poor baby. But hey, he's alive and getting stronger. We won't say safe until Monday and he will have another two weeks of convalescence at home. Then we can say he's in the clear.