Feeding a Dog With Parvo [After Parvo Recovery Diet]

What is Parvo?

Parvo, short for parvovirus, is an infectious disease that attacks a dog’s gastrointestinal tract, most commonly seen in puppies and young dogs.

Puppies are especially vulnerable to parvo because their immune systems are still developing and they often haven’t been fully vaccinated against the virus.

Parvo can also affect adult dogs if they are unvaccinated, but symptoms are generally much less severe. 

Though not an airborne virus, parvo can live on many surfaces and can survive for a long time in both inside and outside environments.

It is even resistant to many disinfectants making it hard to kill.

This nasty virus is highly contagious and can be transmitted to your pup in different ways.

It can live on the ground or on surfaces in kennels, on peoples’ hands, and dogs can carry it in their fur and paws.

Parvo is easily transmissible to dogs through contact with an infected dog or contaminated objects, like water bowls, collars, leashes, and clothing.

Symptoms of Parvovirus

If your dog is infected with parvovirus, it will take between 3-7 days before symptoms appear.

One of the first signs your pup may have parvo is lethargy and a loss of appetite.

Both of these symptoms are highly irregular in a normal, healthy puppy and should immediately be a warning sign. 

As the virus progresses, your pet will develop a fever and start to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea (read next: Puppy Got Giardia From Breeder: What Should You Do?).

In severe cases, dehydration and shock may cause an increased heart rate and hypothermia. 

Besides these symptoms, throughout the canine parvovirus infection, your puppy could have blood in the stool, anorexia, and weight loss, weakness, and depression.

Care Tips for a Dog With Parvo

In the past, veterinarians and dog owners have taken different approaches to care for a dog with parvo.

It was common to withhold feeding puppies for around 3 days with the assumption that this would give the small intestine and gastronomical tract time to recover.

This method is no longer recommended as it resulted in undesirable consequences that even worsened the infection in some cases. 

Now, studies have shown that it’s best to continue hydrating and feeding puppies with parvo.

By feeding your pup, it will reduce inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, decrease pain and vomiting, and give your dog nutrients and energy to help combat the virus. 

Though it is crucial to keep your dog hydrated and well-fed, they will likely be reluctant to consume anything.

The best thing you can do to care for your sick dog is to find a way to get them to eat and drink, while also trying to minimize vomiting.

Or even better, get them a parvo vaccination right when they are young.

Doogy says, read this too: Can I use fairy liquid to wash my dog? Mistakes to avoid

How Do I Hydrate a Dog With Parvo?

Keeping your dog hydrated while they are fighting parvo is crucial to their recovery.

The problem is that dogs will be experiencing stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting which will make them unwilling to drink and unable to keep down any fluids. 

Try to encourage your pup to drink water by offering them their water bowl several times a day.

If they refuse to drink from the bowl, you can try administering fluids with a syringe instead.

You can also try giving them Pedialyte which helps replenish crucial vitamins and minerals that are lost with vomiting and diarrhea.

However, be sure to run this by your vet first since it is normally intended for human use. 

If your dog is severely dehydrated and unable to consume water, you will need to have fluids administered either by IV (injected into the vein) or subcutaneously (injected into the fatty tissue just under the layer of skin).

It is highly recommended to take your pup to the vet if they are severely dehydrated as only vets can administer an IV.

It is possible to purchase a subcutaneous kit that you can take home which contains a fluid bag, a tube and spike, and a subcutaneous needle.

However, going to the vet is still your best option. 

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How to Feed a Dog With Parvo?

The goal here is to do whatever you can to get your dog to eat.

First, you need to find food that your dog can eat without vomiting that is soft on their stomach and easy for them to digest.

We will look at exactly what foods to feed your pup in the next section.

The foods should be bland and soft while also containing vital nutrients to help your dog recover.

Vets may also suggest specialty prescription dog food such as z/d dog food or its alternatives. 

If your dog is reluctant to eat and is showing no interest whatsoever in its food bowl, you can try feeding them by hand.

With some gentle coaxing, they may be more likely to eat food directly from you. You can also try feeding them softer foods with a syringe. 

Avoid trying to get your pup to eat a lot of food at once.

You should be trying to feed your parvo puppy small amounts of food several times a day.

This will make it easier for them to digest and less likely to vomit. Try to get them to eat small portions around 3-4 times a day.