Canine Parvo Virus (CPV) facts and helpfull information

MomOf7

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#1
Parvo virus has been around for a long time and there has been several strains and mutations since first diagnoses and treatment had been reported in 1978.
I personally have gone through parvo with 3 puppies. Only one survived regardless of the best vet care provided.
How is parvo transmitted?
Through feces is the best known way of transporting the virus from place to place. It takes microscopical particles for infection to spread. It grows at an alarming rate and survives the most severe of weather. It can live a long time in contaminated soil. It takes 7-10 days for signs of infection and exposure of parvo to show.
Example lets say you went to your local vets office and a effected puppy was allowed to be on the floors in the waiting room or exam room. If the places that puppy or you were in contact with is not cleaned properly it can be transmitted onto anything that touches it. It can be tracked in by your shoes or unsuspecting guests shoes. You can come into contact with it almost anywhere public. Many dogs carry the virus but yet show know clinical signs of the disease. This is why having a fenced in yard is very helpful. Not allowing other dogs to defecate in your yard is very important not only for the spread of parvo but other infectious diseases as well.
How is parvo treated?
Parvo is treated by replacement or maintenance fluids.
Antibiotics
Plasma transfusion
Blood transfusion
Deworm if necessary.
Death usually occurs from dehydration and loss of protiens. There is no cure for parvo and treatment only consists of supporting the different systems in the body during the course of the disease.
Sometimes euthanization will be discussed in extreme cases that are not responding to treatment which occurs often. Your pup has a 50/50 chance if treated early. As the virus progresses so does your pups chances of survival. I hate to put a number on it but in my studies it seems that only 2 out of 10 will survive. It kills quickly and effeciently.
What dogs are most effected?
Small puppies and elderly dogs. It is not effecting all elderly dogs but can effect them if thier immune system is compromised by either age or illness.
Puppies who have been wiened for 2 weeks are most suseptable as they loose thier mothers immunity after 2 weeks of being weined. Thats when the series of vaccinations start. I have done many studies on vaccination protocols and I recomend not to vaccinate before 2 weeks of being wiened as mothers immunity and the vaccine could cancel eachother out and leave your pup with a compromised immunity. Titer tests can be performed by your vet to see what immunzations are needed. Parvo does not transmit to humans or pets of another species. There is a new strain that is being studied and a new vaccine and cure is in the works. They are experimenting with dogs blood that have survived parvo. Of course this could take years to complete. Dont take for granted that your dog is immune this new strain is killing all ages of dogs. Have your vet to a titer test.
What are some symptoms of parvo?
Lazyness and lethargy, high fever, vomiting, and diarreah. Parvo virus attacks the intestinal lining and multiplies there causing the effected dog or pup to be unable to absorb fluids and nutrients. It can attack the heart causing sudden death by congestive heart failure.
Often the vomit and diarreah is foul smelling and can be yellow, mucousy and bloody. The smell is often compared with the smell of a rotten fish.
What should you do if you believe your dog or pup has parvo?
Please put your dog or pup in a crate or some type of enclosure and bring it to your vet to be diagnosed. You can then along with your vet determine what course to take. Sometimes euthanization is discussed as a treatment so dont be alarmed. Parvo is a tramatic disease and will take a life within hours to just a few days. After seeing 2 pups die from the disease euthanization is the most kind option for a very effected pup. I have seen a pup litterally have tears of blood. Its a very hard situation to find yourself in.
How can you prevent the spread?
If your yard where your pup was allowed to roam is not fenced off, please post a sign in your front yard warning unsuspecting nieghbors. This is a good way to help in the spread of the virus. I know it seems extreme but I would not want to feel responsible for a nieghbors dog getting sick because I was too proud to post a sign.
When taking a pup to the vet office take it in a crate or hold it. Do not let it touch any surface you have not personally seen cleaned. Even the exam table. Ask the tech or vet to clean the surface again if necessary. I know seems extreme...not to me though. Its my puppies lives that are at risk.
Remove your shoes before entering the house. Keep a bottle of bleach/water solution and spray the bottom after a vet visit or a visit to any public place where there are pets. Have company remove shoes and if they had been petting other puppies have them wash thier hands as well.
Again it may seem rude but it is a life/lives you are trying to protect.
Make sure your puppy is worm free. Worms compromise the pups immune system and make them more suseptable to infectious diseases.
Do not allow your puppy to interact with other puppies or dogs in public places untill the last series of shots or a titer test is done to prove immunity. Between 4-6 months the pups immunity should be developed enough to risk exposure. There are other ways of socializing that are safer such as.
Having over company. Allow thier older dog who has its full immunizations done. Be creative but safe. Especially if your area is known for a large number of infected dogs/pups.
Do not allow your dogs or pups to wonder into other peoples yards when on walks. Do not allow other dogs and pups to wonder into yours if you can.
Ok so you have had parvo how can you rid your home and yard of it?
Bleach is the only agent that will kill the virus. There are many cleaning solutions but many do not kill parvo. Parvo is very hearty.
There are several suggestions as to the dilusion of the bleach. I will tell you what I did to kill it here as I have only had one occurance.
I used a 50/50 solution of water and bleach. I spray the ground completely untill it is soaking wet. Not missing one inch of yard. I did this once a week for a month and once a month after that for a total of 6 mo. I continue using it once a month to this day. Its most effective if done on a dry day that follows at least 2 dry days before hand and followed by at least 24 hours of dry weather after applied. Rain will dilute and cause the bleach to be not as effective as you want it to be.
I also tore out my carpet and pad and used the bleach on the subflooring. I threw away all my furnature and bleached all surfaces including walls, doors and any surface that could have been touched. I was in close contact with my pups and anything I touched I wanted to either be clean or thrown away if possible. If you cannot do this then ask your vet for a antiviral solution to use in your home on fabrics. Most are no guarantee they wont stain or damage but most wont. If you can bleach your carpets and furnature. Not the 50/50 but a more mild solution like 20/80. 20 being the bleach of course.
I did this along with the treatment of my yard as to not cross contaminate.

Prevention is key. I hope that this information will help someone understand Parvo and help them prevent any occurance in thier pups/dogs.
If you have any questions feel free to pm me
Kris.
 

Aussie Red

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#2
thank you mom but another way that I aid in prevention is to remove fecal matter from dogs area of yard daily and I have a garden sprayer that I attach to my hose filled with bleach and spray their yard weekly due to the enormous amounts of parvo here. So I know I am doing right but no know that there are new strains and my vet is right. I am not too worried about the other dogs now but will still have fear about whiskey
 

MomOf7

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#3
Aussie Red said:
thank you mom but another way that I aid in prevention is to remove fecal matter from dogs area of yard daily and I have a garden sprayer that I attach to my hose filled with bleach and spray their yard weekly due to the enormous amounts of parvo here. So I know I am doing right but no know that there are new strains and my vet is right. I am not too worried about the other dogs now but will still have fear about whiskey
Thats good info! I over looked it as many people clean thier dogs poo up regularly.
 
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whatszmatter

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#4
that was an informative article, but I think the survival rates are better than 20%. I personally helped a very well known breeder thru parvo at his kennel, 2 litters were infected, they all came down with it 5-7 days after vaccination. I can't recall at how many weeks they were vaccinated, but one litter of 5 one lost and the other litter 7 and one lost.

on the other hand, he told me of a time years before that he had a litter with parvo and only 3 of 6 survived

These were cared for with IV's and such right at the kennel. We scrubbed and cleaned for days after that, it wasn't fun.
 

MomOf7

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#5
whatszmatter said:
that was an informative article, but I think the survival rates are better than 20%. I personally helped a very well known breeder thru parvo at his kennel, 2 litters were infected, they all came down with it 5-7 days after vaccination. I can't recall at how many weeks they were vaccinated, but one litter of 5 one lost and the other litter 7 and one lost.

on the other hand, he told me of a time years before that he had a litter with parvo and only 3 of 6 survived

These were cared for with IV's and such right at the kennel. We scrubbed and cleaned for days after that, it wasn't fun.
It was compiled info on survival rates and based off of that and first hand experiences from other kennels, shelters, and homes. Just a rough figure as it varies from one exposure to another.
 

Buddy'sParents

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#6
Great info, Mom! Thanks so much for doing this.

I just want to add that parvo can survive in extreme weather circumstances (hot, cold) for up to one year, regardless of how much bleach you have used. It is very wise to do an extensive cleaning (such as what Mom did).

I hope this helps anyone who has the unfortunate experience of a dog with parvo, it's is heart wrenching!
 
R

RedyreRottweilers

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#7
Mortality rates are higher in certain breeds. Rottweilers do not do well if they contract Parvo.

The mortality rate is extremely high no matter what treatment is administered.
 

pup-man

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#8
Speaking of the subject, has anybody ever used a product called Parvoguard? I have heard from 3 different people the success they had using this and they didnt even go to the Vet for treatment.????????
 

MomOf7

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#9
pup-man said:
Speaking of the subject, has anybody ever used a product called Parvoguard? I have heard from 3 different people the success they had using this and they didnt even go to the Vet for treatment.????????
I have heard of that one and Parvaid. Our vet says there is no cure. I am skeptical here is why
The ingredients
# Ingredients: Ionic water infused with Chelidonium Majus
# Plantago Major
# Zingiber Officinale
# Echinacea Purpurea
# Phenonip
Not real impressive for a cure:D
 

bubbatd

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#11
Parvo was new when I had a litter.... luckily with the info I got and was able to pass on, I've never had a problem. I do hope every area posts on parvo outbreaks.... Too many people don't treat young pups ... and this is one area that can mutate into very serious circumstances. I think the main area to watch are the BYBs .... thus the pups sold at pet stores. When they say they've had all their shots... are these they do or a vet ? NEVER buy a pup without a vet certification !
 

dmbusch9

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#12
There is another option

We adopted a recuse puppy on Monday and she didn't eat after we brought her home. We took her to the vet on Wednesday, 2/14/07. They ran a bunch of tests and she came back positive for parvo.

I called the guy we got her from to tell him because she was with other puppies and he said to stay in touch and he would be in touch with his vet.

We immediately started treatment with the vet. We paid $200 the first day, $60 the second and were told she was doing great and they wanted her back for observation the next day and it would be about $60, that was Friday.

We called 3 times on Friday and were continuously told they would call us back but that she was doing great. We finally received a call back on Friday at 4 p.m. and were told that she was failing and that they wanted to put a catheter in her and she needed to stay at a hospital overnight and they would continue treatment the next day. They were not sure of the overnight stay cost because they didn't offer it, but their cost would be a minimum of $600. And their was a slim chance that she would survive.

We were not financially ready to handle this, we have pet insurance on our other puppy and they wouldn't sell it to us on her because of the parvo. And we didn't want her to suffer so we asked about putting her down if we couldn't get ahold of her previous owner. They told us that they didn't do that. We would have to sign her over to them.

So we picked her up and soon after received a call from her previous owner. He said that you can treat parvo at home! It is as simple as Pedialite (as much as you can get in them) every three hours for four days and by that time they are either going to survive it or not.

We started the Pedialite last night and this morning she woke us up yelping (which was the first time since the first night we brought her home). I took her outside and after she went to the bathroom she start to play with me, she was running around and being very active. We have continued the Pedialite and will continue it until Monday just to be on the safe side.

We have been keeping her in the kitchen until we can get her boostered and the carpets steam cleaned, except we bring her out wrapped in a towel to lay on the couch with us and watch tv and such. She does not like the kitchen, she stands at the baby gate and yelps and howls until we come get her, which lasts about 5-10 minutes and then she curls up in our laps and rests.

She went outside with our other dog today and she was playing with her and teasing her and seems to have a lot of life in her.

She was sniffing our donuts this morning so we thought that she might be hungry so we took her in the kitchen and brought out the food that the vet recommended, and she wouldn't eat it. So then we brought out some of the Diamond Puppy food that the previous owner gave us and she gobbled it up.

She has not thrown up since we brought her home from the vet last night and has had just a little diarrhea today. I am trying not to get my hopes up, but I think we are on the road to recovery.

Our vet gave us their way or no way and the previous owner and his vet gave us another option and it allowed us another chance with her. We love her so much. There were a lot of tears yesterday and a lot of smiles and sighs of relief today.

So just so that you know, there are other options out there!
 
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#13
We live in an area where vet care is not anyones priority. So our shelter regularly gets puppies that not only have never seen a vet, their mothers have never seen a vet or been vaccinated. So getting parvo positive puppies is common, usually about a week after their shot. Our survival rate seems to hover about 40-50%. It is a hearbreaking disease.
 

rescuelady

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#14
shots or no shots

Hello everyone parvo is very scary but I have been told by a few breeders and some vets who are more into alternative medicine that you should get the basic shots for your puppy when they are young and keep up always with the rabies. They do however always say that shots every year are not necessary and not good for your dogs. I've been told that it is best that after their first shots their body will then build up the antibodies it needs and giving them boosters every year just breaks down the immune to the diseases.
What does everyone else think?
 

Zoom

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#15
There are a handful on here that give the puppy shots and then do yearly titers to ensure immunity levels are being kept up. I'm going this route this year; the last thing I want to do is over-vaccinate.
 

Aussie Red

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#16
Because Whiskey is allergic to all vacs I am too Zoom. Also looking into the non preserved vacs. It may be the mercury in them not sure but being as how he has worse time each time I am going this way.
 
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#17
Thanks for the info. Apparentley today we took our puppy Chico to vet to get his deworming pill. There was another guy with two puppies who were sick. Vet gave us the deworming pill and told us to go home immediately because those two puppies have Parvovirus Gastroenteritis. They had been sick since Friday.This is scary stuff. Chico had his second dose of vaccines and will get his other dose on the 20th of July. I hope he does not get any of the symptoms. Should we keep an eye on Chico to see if he gets the symptoms of Parvovirus Gastroenteritis? Should we be too worried about him?
 
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#18
I hate to scare you, but after a visit at the vet always watch your dogs for a few days. They can pick up lots of germs. As far as regular vax, even the vets are starting to get away from yearly dhpp's after about 3 years of age. ( d.. stands for Distemper, H.. Hepatitis, P.. Parvoviris and the final P.. Parainfluenza.

Kind of up to you, but unless you take your dogs out of the yard a lot or you yourself come into contact with lots of dogs, after 3 years of age I only get the rabies vax.
 

tracyann

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#19
PARVOVIRUS - Puppy Death

Hello Everyone,

We just wanted to share our experience with you in hope that we can prevent or help anyone whose puppy contracts the Parvovirus.

We purchase our Olde English Bulldogge (11 weeks old, 11 pounds) on Wednesday September 5th/07, that Friday he started to look sick. I called the Vet and asked them if there was anything I could do, and gave them the symptoms he was showing at that time. They had us rush him over and examined him on the spot. We where told it could be a cold or stress from bringing him home and to see how he did over night and bring him back to the vet. From 6pm that friday to 11 pm he drastically declined (he could not keep food or water down) vomiting and diareah (he looked really sick). We rushed him over to the Emergency Hospital and they tested him for the Parvovirus (It came back positive). He was immediatly taken into ICU for agressive treatment. He fought really hard for Four days until he got fluild into his lungs. His heart rate was around 240, you could not touch him from the amount of pain he was in. So he would not suffer anymore we decided it was the best thing for him to put him down. As painfull as it was to do this we know it was the best thing for him, and the reality was this Virus got the best of him. We caught early but this Virus is not something to joke about. Watching how fast it him and how drastically he declined we want to make people aware of what can happen and to have there puppies tested ASAP. Also to let you know 4 days in ICU cost us $3000. CAD it is not cheap.

He gave us 2 1/2 days of joy, and in return we gave him love and all we could do to try to save him.

Corona - June 17 2007 - September 11 2007. LOVE YOU & MISS YOU
 
L

LB2007

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#20
Thanks for this great informational post.

I am concerned for my dog. I live in a big city and our only option is to take him on the street in dirt or bushed areas where tons of other dogs poop and pee, as we have no yard. He loves to sniff other dog's poo and I am always concerned. Can he get it from this he is 20 weeks. I think he has either kennel cough or distemper or a series of both. Now I am concerned abtou this as his immune system is obviously not strong.
 

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