07/02/2025
Meet Ruru! 🐾
This sweet girl came to us for an emergency visit at just 10 weeks old after she began vomiting, having diarrhea, and stopped eating. Given her young age, the fact that she had only received her first DHPP booster, and the severity of her symptoms, we asked her owners to bring her in immediately and call us from the car upon arrival. Once they arrived, one of our staff members, fully suited in PPE, went out to test Ruru for parvovirus. She tested positive.
Canine parvovirus, or “parvo,” is an extremely contagious viral disease that causes severe gastrointestinal illness in young or unvaccinated dogs. Puppies who are not fully vaccinated are at highest risk. A dog infected with parvovirus may initially develop a fever, become lethargic, and stop eating. In the first 24–48 hours, frequent vomiting usually occurs, followed by bloody diarrhea as the disease progresses. Without prompt and aggressive treatment, the dehydration, septic shock, and cardiac stress caused by the virus can be fatal. Parvovirus has an estimated 80% mortality rate if left untreated, making immediate veterinary care essential.
Ruru was brought into our isolation unit and admitted for hospitalization and intensive supportive care. We placed an IV catheter and began administering fluids to combat the dehydration caused by her vomiting and diarrhea. She received several IV medications, including anti-nausea drugs, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatories to help reduce the irritation in her stomach and intestines. Because she wasn’t eating, we also placed a nasogastric (NG) tube to provide the nutrition she needed.
Throughout her hospitalization, we closely monitored Ruru’s glucose and electrolyte levels and repeated her bloodwork multiple times to assess any changes. Unfortunately, she remained in critical condition. Her bloodwork revealed non-regenerative anemia, characterized as hypochromic and microcytic, as well as leukopenia meaning a dangerously low white blood cell count, which severely compromised her immune system and left her more vulnerable to secondary infections.
Stay tuned for part two and see how Ruru recovered!! 💪🐶💖