Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 4/9/2011

Question
QUESTION: I don't know what is wrong with my pitbull puppy (born feb 2 2011).There are 3 of them, and one isn't as cheerful. I thought maybe she is sick but she ate and drink (a little) and while the rest are still abusing their priviledge to play in the yard. She lays on the porch, seemingly depressed. I checked to see if it was an outer thingy, but what ever is wrong it is inner. HELP???

ANSWER: Your puppy could be getting sick. Your puppy could have been hurt playing with the other puppies. I would get this dog to the vets asap and see what is going on with her.

She might be coming down with parvo. You don't want to wait and see, you need to get her tested. Take her in today.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My dad got an idea to look up a vaccination schedule. Now he is off to go buy the medicine. But my mom asked a great question. Would you want to give a sick puppy a shot? (Oh she has gotten worse and is laying under the big tree, with way more symptoms). What about the other two puppies? Should they get the recommended shot and not the other?

Answer
If this puppy has parvo all of them are going to get it no matter what you do now. These puppies needed to be vaccinated at 6,9, 12, 15 and 18 weeks of age.
That is the only effective vaccination schedule for this breed and even then, they can get parvo- but they have a better chance of surviving it.
Here is an article on parvo virus for you:

http://www.peteducation.com/article_print.cfm?c=2+2102&aid=467

Non-vaccinated puppies have a really low chance of survival. If you get them to the vets and have them treated with fluids, antibiotics, etc, they have a better chance to survive.

Without treatment, chances are about 10% of surviving. Pits are one of the breeds that gets parvo easily and when they do it hits them very hard.

Vaccinating a sick puppy is a waste of money. You might vaccinate the other two but the incubation period for parvo is 7-10 days after exposure and the other two are probably incubating it right now.

Exposure is air-borne, brought in from other dogs, on your clothes, from a puppy park, etc. Parvo is a very hard virus that lives outside of the dog for over 6 months in the ground etc.

Everything that can be should be bleached. She should be kept from the other dogs and confined in a kennel once you get her back from the vets.
And you need to get her there now- not later...

I hope she survives this as well as your other two.