I think my baby might die...

We rescued a miniature Schnauzer. She had 7 puppies 3 weeks ago. Three were smaller than the rest but I didn't think anything about it. Two days ago I noticed one of the puppies looked...different. I rushed it to the vet, but in spite of my best efforts to save it, it died. The vet said it was dehydrated and had coccidia. The first thing she did was give it glucose.

Another one is much weaker than it was yesterday. I've been keeping it warm, making sure it eats, and giving it sugar water, or smear a bit of honey in it's mouth about every 4 hours. (I'm also giving them Albon twice daily.)

Here's my question:

How often should I give it honey or sugar water? How much?

When I made the sugar water, I disolved 3t sugar in 1/2c of water. Is that too much sugar or not enough?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chrisdowney

We rescued a miniature Schnauzer. She had 7 puppies 3 weeks ago. Three were smaller than the rest but I didn't think anything about it. Two days ago I noticed one of the puppies looked...different. I rushed it to the vet, but in spite of my best efforts to save it, it died. The vet said it was dehydrated and had coccidia. The first thing she did was give it glucose.

Another one is much weaker than it was yesterday. I've been keeping it warm, making sure it eats, and giving it sugar water, or smear a bit of honey in it's mouth about every 4 hours. (I'm also giving them Albon twice daily.)

Here's my question:

How often should I give it honey or sugar water? How much?

When I made the sugar water, I disolved 3t sugar in 1/2c of water. Is that too much sugar or not enough?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

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Coccidia is spread by ingestion of feces. In your case the mother sheds the organism, infecting the puppies.

The common treatment for coccidia in adult dogs is a Sulfa antibiotic, which usually clears it up quickly. Diarrhea in the adult dog can be profuse, watery, and usually has a putrid smell.

Coccidia

If left untreated in adults there can be dehydration. In puppies the danger of dehydration and subsequent death is high. Presumably the Vet put the puppies on an antibiotic of their choice(?). They might have considered Lomotil to slow down the intestinal peristalic movement. In either case if you attempt to treat the infection at home with sugar water orally that may only cause the diarrhea to get worse. If you don't want to lose the puppy, then get it hospitalized.

How worrying! I hope the vet can help you and all these wee pups!

I would ask your vet how much and how often they should get the sugar water.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dragondawg

Coccidia is spread by ingestion of feces. In your case the mother sheds the organism, infecting the puppies.

The common treatment for coccidia in adult dogs is a Sulfa antibiotic, which usually clears it up quickly. Diarrhea in the adult dog can be profuse, watery, and usually has a putrid smell.

Coccidia

If left untreated in adults there can be dehydration. In puppies the danger of dehydration and subsequent death is high. Presumably the Vet put the puppies on an antibiotic of their choice(?). They might have considered Lomotil to slow down the intestinal peristalic movement. In either case if you attempt to treat the infection at home with sugar water orally that may only cause the diarrhea to get worse. If you don't want to lose the puppy, then get it hospitalized.

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He did say he was giving Albon twice a day. Albon is a Sulfadimethoxine it's an antibiotic and also used to treat coccidial infections. We use that one frequently at our hospital for Coccidia.

Chrisdowney - sorry I don't know the proper formula or dosage for the sugar water. You'd be best off calling your vet and asking on that one. And all the dogs including the mother should be treated for Coccidia. Good luck.

I've always heard that honey isn't safe to give an infant because it isn't sterile. I don't know if this is true but if it is, it would hold for a puppy too wouldn't it? Please consult the vet about this.

Best of luck to you in saving these precious babies. :(