Mr. Bingle is sick. ...

[E's]

Oh, what a shame - I'm terribly sorry; had so hoped you could win this one!

[Traci]

Safe and gentle journey, sweet Mr Bingle

[Traci]

E's...if a pet owner is experienced, or at least has clear direction by a vet or trained professional, then by all means, IV insertion can be life-saving.

However, inexperienced people, or those without direction can easily cause more harm than good. There are many factors to consider: degree of dehydration, finding a vein, avoiding blowing the vein, avoiding contamination, calculating the amount of fluid/repletion necessary, and of course primary health status or nature of the emergency.

[Marty]

Aww, I had high hopes he could beat it, too...romp free at the Bridge, Mr. Bingle.

[k9Karen]

I'm so sorry to hear he didn't make it.

Traci - even if vomiting is present, oral fluids will be absorbed almost immediately after they are consumed, especially on an empty stomach, so some of it will enter the blood stream. The longer it stays down, the more will be absorbed. Oral rehydration is recommended in treatment of humans for this reason, so, unless contraindicated by the animals condition (for example with pancreatitis), I assume the same would be true with animals.

[Traci]

Not in the case of parvo, Karen. Food and water should be withheld in a dog with clinical symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea and sustained with IV fluid support (the same is true with distemper), until the symptoms have lessened or resolved. Then, small amounts of water and food can be introduced, and the dog monitored for continued vomiting.

Oral electrolyte solutions can be given, but in a vomiting dog, they are unlikely to be of as much benefit as IV fluids.

[k9Karen]

Fortunately, I've never had to deal with a dog that had distemper or parvo (thank goodness!). Of course, oral rehydration isn't a replacement for IV fluids, I just wanted to add that some of the fluid will be absorbed directly through the stomach wall, so if IVs or sub-Q fluids aren't an option, oral rehydration is still better than nothing at all.

[E's]

Traci, I ought to have prefaced my comment on giving IV fluids at home with my reason for replying, which had to do with costs involved:

Skeptic wrote

... Of course the parish won't pay for treatment, which would be expensive...

In Louisiana, a county is called a parish; thus, what I understood Skeptic to say was that professional IV was not available because the local governing authority could not/would not pay for it. That is why I asked if the little dog was at home or at a St. John the Baptist Parish facility... And my point, meant as a bit of encouragement, was that if 20 years ago my friend could, all by herself, successfully administer IV fluids to a small dog, on board a 55 foot boat... then perhaps in the present instance such an option could be viable for skillful and experienced dog handlers like Skeptic and his associates.

It was a comment of the moment, among persons who know a lot more than I do about veterinary matters - and was certainly not meant to advise or condone any general use of amateur or holistic remedies.

[Traci]

On an internet message forum with limited information, I'd rather keep my conscience, which is why I suggested looking into at least sub-q fluid therapy, ampicillin and b-complex vitamins. Sub-q fluids may be able to be obtained at cost, and perhaps worth looking into by the shelter, since they could be useful for a variety of purposes. I don't claim to know what goes on behind the scenes, I only try to make suggestions based on limited information presented.

Having extensive experience with parvo, recovery rates are better when treatment is initiated immediately and maintained with IV fluid therapy.

I would agree that life-saving techniques could be applied, but I don't often recommend them on an internet message forum because I do not know the person's experience level, nor the exact facts behind the situation. Too many factors to consider.