Help for Puppy

[Cowgirllovesshakespeare]

Help!  We have a 10 week old Cattle Dog puppy who we brought home on November 4, 2011.  She was fine but eventually developed Parvo and was loaded with worms.  We have had in her for treatment a total of three times and she received transfusions each time.  She is drinking water, and peeing.  We are getting the wormer in her by forcing peanut butter laced in her... but she won't eat.  She has not eaten food on her own since Friday.  Now we are worred we will lose her to starvation.  Does anybody have any ideas on getting her to eat on her own?  We have tried:  hamburger/rice, chicken/rice, puppy wet, puppy dry and we are forced feeding her peanut butter to get the wormer in her... anybody ever find another trick?  I have been reading as much as I can, but we need a miracle!  Help!

[ginger899]

I have also heard of the "bit of tobacco cure" for worms. It may work...but it is DEFINITELY NOT something I would recommend! Tobacco is highly toxic to eat, and especially for dogs! Yes it may kill worms, but it could make the dog quite sick.
By far the best worm solution is to get one from the vet. I do that every time, it doesn't cost a lot (a couple of pounds more than it costs for an over-the-counter one, and gentler on the tummy)

My dog had Parvo years ago, just before she came to me. She had been hospitalized for a week, on IV, and antibiotics. She was a thin little thing when she came out, and it was obvious she needed some good convalescence. Also, she seemed to have forgotten how to eat! Part of the reason is Parvo attacks the gut lining, so it takes time to heal properly. When it is at its worst, food is a bad idea anyway, as the gut is too inflamed to cope, and hydration is the only thing that will help. Then, when the worst is over, and food can be re-introduced, it is better to start with bland food which is also nutritious and very easy to digest. Scrambled egg, chicken breast with rice,  a little brown toast, mashed potato with a little gravy made from low-salt or no-salt chicken stock, white fish and rice, etc.
I realize at the moment she will need to be force-fed in order for her to have any strength at all, and get some essential nutrients down her.
As soon as you can, try hand-feeding her tiny amounts at a time. I did that with my dog, as when she came out of the hospital after Parvo she had no appetite at all. Eventually she acceped tiny morsels from my hand, though she wouldn't eat out of her dish. Once she got some strength up and healing started, she began to eat normally again after a week or so. It was hard work but it paid off.

[cng18]

how old is she if she was taken from her mother before 6 weeks that was a mistake take her to the vet they can help save your dogs life or stop her suffering as for meds have you tried cheese or dog treats hot dogs lunch meat maybe she doesn't like peanut butter some dogs can be allergic to peanut butter that could also get her to eat again also try giving her puppy milk again see if she'll drink that if she's drinking that will give her the stuff she'll get from dog food she could just be picky about the dog food or she's scared because your forcing her to eat also take dry dog food put water in it and warm it up in the microwave she if she'll eat that i've also heard for worms in animals take their pet food put water in it and then take a cigarette and get the tobacco out of there and mix it in with the food

[Ghilly]

There is a food that you can buy at your vet's, it's a prescription food but in your situation you should have no trouble buying it, called A/D.  It's part of the Hill's group of prescription foods.  It is very easy to digest and it has a very soft, pudding-y consistency.  Ask your vet for a syringe that is used to do a transtracheal wash.  This is a very large syringe.  You can load the syringe with the A/D and force feed it to her.  Give her about half a syringe four times a day.  

Also, get a tube of something called NutriCal.  Your vet will sell it as well, but they also sell it at PetSmart.  In my own experience, it is about $10 a tube at the vet's and about half that price at PetSmart, so you can decide if it's worth paying double the money at the vet or if you have a PetSmart close enough that you can easily get there and get it cheaper.  NutriCal is a very high calorie preparation for dogs and cats that are sick and are either not eating their full rations or not eating at all.  It will provide nutrition to sustain them until they are well enough to eat their own food again.

DO NOT give up on her.  It won't be fun force feeding her, however it will be worth it.  I went through this exact thing with an Australian Shepherd puppy 30 years ago and she went on to be my best friend for 15 years.  

Ghilly