With a heavy heart, we have to let everyone know that sweet Jax took a turn for the worse and became unresponsive. We had to let him go, so he did not suffer. He passed in the arms of the ICU Team.
Different strains of Parvo appear to get harder for the pups to come back from. Dear Jax was happy and a little playful when he suddenly became puny and did not want to interact. Over the next four hours, all the medical care in the World could not stop his downward spiral. To say I was shocked is an understatement. The ICU Team is equally upset and distraught over losing this second pup. We knew it was a long shot for Opie because he was in such bad shape when he arrived but felt we had gotten Jax early enough to save him.
We save a lot of pups from Parvo. This strain appears to destroy their gastrointestinal tract before they have time to recover. Once they quit eating the NasoGastro Tube will usually give them enough nourishment and medication to enable them to bounce back. That is not the case with this group.
Gemma is the only one remaining that has been doing well. She had more energy yesterday than she did today which has me a little bit uncomfortable. There is another puppy in ICU that came in two days ago that also has Parvo. The puppy is not from this litter and is not one we are familiar with. Parvo is not carried via the air but is spread through direct contact either from holding a parvo pup or walking where one has been sick. Carolina Vet. takes extra precautions to make sure one does not come in contact with the other.
Gemma needs lots of prayers that she is strong enough to pull through this. We cannot get her out of ICU until we are sure, she is not going to have a setback. She would not make it if she had a setback which is why we are adamant about keeping her in ICU where she is getting 24-hour round the clock care. There is a shortage of quarantine areas in all of the hospitals, which is why we are holding on to this one until she is stronger.
We are hopeful tomorrow will be a good day for Gemma. She is the only one that has been eating on her own all along. Please, keep the prayers coming.
