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Parvovirus
Parvovirus is a preventable, viral infection that kills up to 80-95% of unvaccinated puppies.
Overview
Parvovirus is a highly infectious agent that infects young puppies and causes characteristic bloody diarrhea.
The virus is spread by the faeces of an infected dog. A dog can pick up the virus through the ingestion of infected grass, water, food that can be found in public areas such as dog parks. Viral shedding or the spread of the virus from infected faeces occurs approximately 3 days after infection and can continue for 7-12 days after infection. This means that even once the dog has returned home, it could still shed virus and infect others.
Signs
Common signs of parvovirus in a dog:
- Bloody, smelly diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Off food
- Lethargy
- Collapse
Puppies usually start showing signs of disease, day 4-14 after infection. Unfortunately, without prompt treatment, parvovirus can lead to death, with most deaths occuring within 48-72 hours from the onset of clinical signs.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is based on vaccination history, clinical signs, and blood or fecal testing. The best time to pick up the disease is 5-7 days after infection as the fecal concentration is at its highest. Your veterinarian may take a fecal sample directly from the rectum or take a blood sample to test for the virus.
Management
Dogs with parvovirus are often very sick. Urgent care is required in order to give the dog the best chance of survival.
Veterinary management may include:
- Hospitalization in a quarantined area
- Intravenous fluids
- Antibiotics
- Pain medication
- Anti-nausea medication
Tips to help manage a pet with parvovirus:
- Thorough disinfecting of the home environment with bleach-based products (dilution of 1 part bleach:30 parts water)
- Isolate infected areas from other animals
- Isolating your pet from other animals for at least a week after hospitalization
- Avoid taking your pet out for walks for at least a week after hospitalization
Prognosis
It has been estimated that without treatment, over 80-95% of dogs with parvovirus will die.
The prognosis for canine parvovirus infection is fair to good with treatment, with recent reports of 80-90% survival with aggressive treatment.
Prevention
Tips to help prevent parvovirus:
- Vaccination from 6-8 weeks of age with boosters every 4 weeks until 14-16 weeks of age with a booster 12 months later then yearly ongoing
- Avoid taking your pet to public areas until fully vaccinated
To help prevent your pet from picking up the virus, it is recommended that if you are wanting to walk your pet or take them to public areas such as puppy school, it is important that it has had its first vaccination and that the school requires all puppies to be vaccinated.
Dogs commonly contract parvovirus if not fully vaccinated or vaccinated at the wrong time. It's extremely important that the vaccination regime is adhered to.