What is Parvo?
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Parvo is the shortened term for the canine parvovirus, a viral disease that affects dogs. The parvovirus most commonly affects puppies as the virus attacks the rapidly developing cells in a young dog’s body, but dogs of all ages can become infected. Parvo generally affects the intestines causing diarrhea that is often bloody, but parvo can also affect the heart causing it to fail. Parvo is the most common lethal virus known to affect dogs, but is preventable with the parvo vaccine.
Parvo is an extremely contagious virus that is transmitted through fecal matter. The virus can live for weeks or months in areas where feces from infected dogs have been deposited. Parvo is highly resistant to surface disinfectants, but many veterinarian offices and kennels use bleach as surface disinfectants because it is the most effective. An unvaccinated dog is highly susceptible to the parvovirus.
An infected dog will display symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy. A loss of appetite is another significant symptom along with fever. Complications of parvo include dehydration, shock and death. Vaccinated dogs can be carriers of parvo without being infected and may not display any symptoms of the virus at all.
Because of the parvovirus’s highly contagious nature, it is important to vaccinate dogs against the virus. The parvo vaccine is part of routine veterinary vaccinations recommended for all puppies and dogs. The parvo vaccine is generally administered around six weeks and is re-administered three to four additional times before the dog is a year old and annually after that.
There is no cure for parvo, however veterinarian treatment for the disease, which includes intravenous fluids and medications, can sustain a dog’s body systems during the course of the disease. Unlike many human viruses, the contraction of canine parvovirus does not cause the dog’s body to develop immunity or resistance and the dog can contract parvo again.
To prevent parvo, veterinarians recommend having every puppy properly vaccinated during the first 20 weeks of life and annually each year after. With the proper vaccination your dog will be protected from the virus, but if you believe your unprotected dog has contracted the virus or know he has been exposed, you should consult a veterinarian. If you have a dog without vaccination records or are unsure of their medical history, you should take them to a veterinarian for examination.
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18
my dog has not had his second shot and what can i do? He is 14 weeks old and He is ok. He is an american staffordshire terrier and has not had his ears cropped. - anon60849
17
I had a Pit Bull puppy someone gave me and they told me that his shots were up to date. well to make a long story short, my kids woke up and found our puppy dead on the bathroom floor. He died from parvo. I never knew what that was until i had asked because he wasn't eating or drinking. He just played on me like a new born baby. R.I.P. Damu - anon60331
16
i had a Jack Russell get parvo and survive. We forced Maalox, Pepto and Gatorade down him. He was lived four more years until he got out of the fence and a crazy teenage driver ran him over. - anon58963
15
I bought a female pekignese that had all her shots. She just had puppies two weeks ago and one died shortly after whelping. I started the remaining four on Albon Monday. My female pup died that afternoon. On Wednesday, I carried the other three puppies to the vet and found out that they had early stages of parvo. I had already started warm water enemas. One was pretty weak and of course he died shortly after returning from the vet. My other two little boys are doing better with the albon I started them on Monday. What threw me off is they never started throwing up. The mother is a carrier of parvo. Can she be vaccinated again to protect other puppies if I decide to breed her? Please take your pets to the vet for proper vaccines. - anon58307
14
I bought a lhasa apso pup in mid-November. The pup started showing symptoms of parvo, which I was unaware of. It was only 40 days old when I took it from the pet shop. When I took it to the vet a couple of days later, it was too late, as the vet said it was infected even before I took it. It sadly passed away the next day. My advice to everyone is to have their pups checked by a vet before taking it from any pet shop or breeder. - anon55836
13
Four years ago for christmas, me and my brother each got a puppy. in february, they had most of their shots for parvo when we had to board them when we were going out of town. Both caught parvo and mine, buster, died. he was only a two-month-old red, long-haired mini dachshund. my brother's dog survived, but we were feeding him with a dropper. Four years later, i'm 11 and clifford is four years old and still alive, and buster is still with us, in our hearts. - anon51238
12
I have not heard of any dog that has survived this parvovirus at all. I had three dogs and they all were diagnosed with parvovirus and all three of them died days later. I don't understand where these dogs pick up this virus or are they sometimes just born with it? - anon50864
11
Our 10 year old dalmation just recently came down with parvo. He was very healthy and a little thicker but healthy. He showed signs of being sick and not eating. Took him to the vet they said he had parvo. Two days being there they told us he was probably going to be just fine cause of how healthy he was. On the thirrd day he passed away. I haven't read really anywhere yet that a dog survives this parvo. Ours was as healthy as it gets and still didn't make it. I strongly suggest getting your dogs the parvo shots as soon as you can when they are pups. - anon46565
10
I just got a 3 and a half month old puppy and he hasn't had all of his shots yet. I heard that i shouldn't take him to parks with other dogs because there is a big risk of getting parvo. What do you think? - anon42619
9
i would like to know how long does it take parvo to kill a dog? i guess by you not knowing a person cannot tell. my dog was good and healthy one day and the next day wasn't moving around, not eating or drinking, had diarrhea blood. i still took him to the vet and noticed he had parvo. they treated him with medicine but when i got back home that night he passed away. it really hurt me. he was a family dog and only seven months old. - anon42383
8
my best friend has a boxer-lab and they have had her for two weeks. the dog is ll weeks old and they just found out that the dog has parvo. can they treat the do before she dies - anon39499
7
i had a 3 month old maltipoo and he died today with that parvo. he had his two months of shots and that did not help him. - anon35823
6
I bought my boxer several weeks ago, the man claimed he had shots. I noticed he threw up *once* yesterday. Within 2 hours, he was just sad, no playing, nothing to do with food or water, nothing. I took him to the vet within 4 hours of throwing up. He tested positive for parvo with a fever of 104. Which really shocked me to hear about a 50/50 chance he will make it. They done fluids, a treatment & we were out within 30 mins, $85. They said he wouldn't eat or drink but more die from dehydration than parvo. After hours of researching this stuff, I found different options. I mixed infant rice (for nut. value) and beef broth to appeal him. And had Gatorade, pedialite, baby food with meats in it & fruit yogurt... Hes loving the broth & baby rice, sipping blue gatorade, he actually ate *alot* last nite and today, but not drinking alot today, and he hasn't thrown up anymore. Until today there was no poop mess... And if I were eating what I have been feeding him, I'd poop like crazy too. But at least he is eating, no vomit, or blood! Parvo lives on surfaces over a year, even a fly can give it to your pup. This destroys the lining of the belly and the dog will begin pooping and vomiting, both can/will contain blood, in a very short period of time, so it's actually vomiting its own guts and dehydrates itself. It is very cruel, painful, causes terrible odors, and usually by the time your pup shows symptoms, some damage has already been done. *As soon as* you see your pet vomit, notice the "runs", seems depressed, take it to the vet ASAP. They claim chances are better the earlier it's treated. There are home treatments, but as far as I have read, and researched, the best thing to do is the *vaccination and vet!!* I hope this helps some people. Let's hope my baby makes it through. - anon33482
5
Please take your dogs to the vet if they are throwing up or have loose stools. It could be something serious.It is hard to have another bill to pay in these tough times, but family members (and pets are family) are worth it! Explain to your vet that the situation is serious and they may be able to work something out with you. God Bless and good luck. - anon32968
4
my puppy is a bullmastiff and is 9 weeks old. he used 2 run around the back playing with the other dog but now is very lazy he wont eat or drink and is constantly throwing up and has got diarrhea. how can i help him? - bully09
3
my pet is 7 to 8 months old and he has been lying around the house throwing up he has diarrhea and hes has not been drinking much water at all and i love my puppy very much my familiy has already lost his sister and we dont want to lose him too please we need your help what can we do. - anon22812
2
hi ive just bought an american staffordshire terrier puppy he is 7wks and 5 days old and since saturday he has had diarrhea, sick and tired all the time hes gone off his food the diarrhea is the same colour of whatever he eats the owner was giving him weetbix with water and ive been giving him puppy food could this be to rich for him - anon17377
1
My boxer had a litter of 5 puppy. they pretty much all left on sunday june 22, 08 they all had there first round of shot and dewormed done, but one of the puppies got parvo but none of the others did so within 3 days. she is know really sick would she have gotten it from my house or from the person i sold her to? I do know she did take it to the pet store with her could she of got it from there? - bananagirl
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Written by
J. Beam
Last Modified: 16 January 2010
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