The Pet Health Care Gazette

Parvovirus, or parvo, infection in dogs is often a fatal disease. It is caused by a virus, called a parvovirus, which infects the intestinal system of dogs. It is especially dangerous for young puppies.

Recently, parvovirus has received attention in the news because two puppies which were adopted by Oprah Winfrey contracted the disease. One of the puppies died from it, unfortunately. As of the last announcement, the other puppy is recovering, but was apparently quite sick for a time, requiring extensive treatment.

What Kind of Symptoms Does Parvovirus Cause?

Parvovirus in dogs causes severe diarrhea, usually with blood in the feces. Sometimes the stool will look like more like straight blood than like a bowel movement.

Parvo also causes vomiting, an elevated temperature, lack of appetite and lethargy. Dogs with parvovirus become ill very quickly. They can be healthy one day and be in very serious condition the following day.

Any dog can get parvovirus, but it tends to be more severe in puppies than in adult dogs. Some breeds, such as American Pit Bull Terriers and Rottweillers, seem to be more prone to developing parvo than other breeds of dogs.

How does a Dog Become Infected with Parvovirus?

Parvovirus is spread through the feces of dogs which are infected with parvo. When a healthy dog is exposed to the infected feces, either through sniffing at the feces or eating the feces, parvovirus can be passed to the healthy dog.

It often takes several days for the parvo infection to become evident and vomiting and/or diarrhea are often the first signs seen.

How is Parvo Treated in Dogs?

The main objective in treating parvovirus infection is fluid replacement. Dogs infected with parvo usually need to placed on intravenous fluids and therapy needs to be very aggressive. Medications to control vomiting are usually mandatory. Antibiotics may be necessary. Medications like Tamiflu are sometimes used as well. Deworming medications may need to be given to rid the infected dog of concurrent parasites.

Treatment for parvovirus will likely mean hospitalization for your puppy and your puppy may need to be hospitalized for several days. The cost of treating parvo in dogs is quite high and there is no guarantee of recovery. In fact, many dogs do not survive parvovirus infection even with aggressive treatment in the hospital.

Is There a Way to Prevent Parvovirus in Dogs?

Dogs can and should be vaccinated against parvovirus. Parvo vaccinations are normally started for a puppy at between 6-8 weeks of age. The puppies should receive a series of parvo vaccines every 3-4 weeks until reaching 14-16 weeks of age. A booster parvovirus vaccination should be given one year later. After that, vaccines are given every one to three years, depending on your dog’s risk factors for being exposed to parvovirus and your veterinarian’s vaccine protocol.

Vaccination against parvovirus in dogs is very effective and is much easier and safer than trying to treat a dog with parvovirus infection.

Springtime often brings an increase in parvo cases, probably because people are starting to take their dogs and puppies outside more often and are frequenting dog parks and other locations where the dog or puppy is likely to be exposed to parvo.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 11:28 pm and is filed under Dogs, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.