How You Can Help Our Parvo Puppies

Feb 07, 2020

Over the past 24 hours, we have been inundated with offers to help our Parvo ICU and we are so sincerely grateful. This unit is near and dear to my heart because it started in my house before APA! had a building. I know first-hand how hard of a job it is and how overwhelming it can seem when the puppies need so much care as well as medical treatment in order to survive. Since those early days, the Parvo ICU has treated a whopping 5,200 puppies with a live release rate of 85%, which is often better than even what private practice can achieve!

Before I tell you what we need, I’ll share some medical info: There is no “cure” for parvo, it has to run its course. That means that our job is to keep the puppy alive while they are vomiting blood and having bloody blowout diarrhea until the disease is over. The treatment cannot typically be done orally because the virus causes the intestinal lining to slough, and not be able to absorb water or medicine until it starts to heal again. That means that each puppy requires intravenous or subcutaneous (under the skin) fluid therapy to combat the dehydration, as well as administration of anti-nausea medications to slow the vomiting and fluid loss, and antibiotics to prevent sepsis from bacteria in the gut getting into the bloodstream due to the intestinal bleeding. This all has to happen at least 2-3 times a day until the puppy can hold down food again. They cannot go outside of their kennel to potty because the poop is contagious until they test negative.

The only saving grace is that the virus is over very quickly, usually within 3-5 days, and the happy, playful puppy personalities re-emerge from the shell of themselves that they were when they were sick. But… This is actually the second phase of messy. They are happy, jumping around, AND eating well (so, of course, pooping well again). As soon as a puppy tests negative, usually within 48 hours of eating food again, we can move them out of the ICU and ideally into foster or adopter homes.

When people ask how they can help, I honestly have trouble answering because the list is so long, but here goes:

• Sign up to volunteer. After a pretty quick general onboarding process you can sign up to volunteer in our Parvo ICU alongside a staff team of four. We use the help of volunteers to deliver medical treatment around 8am and 8pm every day. These shifts are critical to the amazing survival rate of the Parvo ICU because we treat dozens of puppies at once. If needles make you squeamish, you can also sign up as an essential care volunteer to help at any time of day with care duties such as laundry, feeding (sometimes force feeding), and cuddling.
• Sign up to foster. Often the puppies are very skinny after the virus has run its course and need some “fattening up” in a foster home. Occasionally, a puppy will be battling another illness on top of parvo and while parvo is over, they need help recuperating from the double whammy of mange or severe intestinal worms or broken legs or upper respiratory infections. We desperately need fosters who are willing to take in these challenged (but fighting!) little guys to give them space to truly heal out of the shelter.
• Donate funds. The Parvo ICU has an annual cost that has to be fundraised for every year from scratch. We receive no government funding and are 100% reliant on the generosity of donors to help ensure that we can keep staff employed to care for the puppies, as well as to purchase all the medications, IV catheters, fluids, fluid pumps, and disinfectant supplies that can only be purchased through medical suppliers. It costs far more to save these lives than to not save them. I cannot underscore this need enough.
• Donate items. We are in perpetual need of the supplies that don’t need to go through an official supplier like bleach, towels, paper towels, trash bags, laundry detergent, spray bottles, paper plates and tiny stuffed animals. A huge need is stinky puppy food and stinky people food (like baby food, hot dogs, cheese whiz, chicken and rice, etc.) so that we can pique the appetite interest of puppies as soon as possible so they can get out of the ICU faster - remember once they start eating, they move out fast.
• Spread the word. Celebrate with us every time we get a chance to post that a puppy gets to live and go one to find their forever home by supporting our Parvo ICU Facebook page and asking friends to check it out, too. You can keep informed of needs as they arise too - like when our washer/dryer breaks or when there is some other big need holding back operations.

Austin Pets Alive! is an organization built by the power of individuals. Every small or large action that someone takes contributes to the mountain of work that we have to overcome every year to make sure that every pet in Austin, and even pets from beyond Austin, get a fair chance at life.

Thank you for supporting the work we do.

-Ellen