Parvovirus in Dogs

Definition

Parvovirus infection, commonly called “parvo” is a disease of dogs that affects the intestinal tract and the immune system.  It causes inappetance, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and secondary infections.  It causes very severe illness in puppies and some adults.  Infection can be fatal in puppies of any breed including cross breeds, but Dobermans and Rottweilers show an increased number of fatalities. 

Parvo is a relatively recent disease that was first identified in the late 1970s; the virus did not exist in dogs before that time. It has been suggested that a virus from another species such as the cat adapted itself to infect dogs. 

Parvo is a very hardy virus that can survive and persist in the environment for at least 6 months.  It is impossible to kill the virus outdoors in the soil without killing all the vegetation.  For decontamination indoors, thorough washing and rinsing followed by careful use of an anti-viral solution such as "TriGene” (available through us) or a 1:30 bleach solution. 

Symptoms

Infection of puppies is usually via exposure to infected soil, and symptoms generally begin to manifest 6-14 days after exposure to the virus. Initial symptoms are depression, loss of appetite and fever.  After 1-2 days, vomiting and bloody diarrhoea develop.  This quickly leads to progression of dehydration and then death in severely affected dogs.  Puppies 6-8 weeks of age have a higher mortality than older puppies, as do Dobermans and Rottweilers.  

Treatment

Treatment is intensive and can be costly as it is aimed at trying to combat dehydration and electrolyte losses, controlling the vomiting and diarrhoea and preventing secondary infections. This includes intravenous fluid therapy, multiple antibiotic therapy, plasma transfusions, and a high level of nursing care. Tube feeding may be required if vomiting cannot be controlled. Puppies often have prolonged hospital stays. 

Prevention

The best approach to parvo is prevention by vaccination.  We recommend puppies to commence their vaccination schedule from 6 weeks of age, and to ensure puppies have no exposure to potentially infectious environments until 7-10 days after completion of their full vaccination course at 16 weeks of age.