Preventing Parvovirus!

With all the new puppies after the holidays, comes the unfortunate increase in parvovirus cases. Here’s some key points about what you need to know about this deadly disease.

The most common and severe form of the virus is CPV-2b. Canine parvovirus is a life-threatening condition; the mortality rate even with therapy is approximately 20-30%

Important timelines for this condition include:

Clinical signs are usually seen 6-10 days after exposure

The virus fecal shedding period is approximately 7-10 days

The route of transmission is fecal-oral and it causes clinical signs such as severe diarrhea, anorexia, vomiting and lethargy

This virus causes damage and destruction of the crypt cells of the small intestine

If a pet is diagnosed or suspected to have parvovirus, they should ideally be hospitalized and isolated for intensive care

This virus is very contagious among susceptible and unvaccinated dogs

Make sure to disinfect the environment and remove any contaminated objects

Vaccination against canine parvovirus is extremely effective, if all boosters are administered properly at the right intervals so make sure you bring your puppy into a licensed veterinarian to be vaccinated to prevent this potentially fatal disease!

References:

1) CAPC. https://capcvet.org/guidelines/

2) Tilley, L. P., & Smith, F. W. (2005). The 5-minute veterinary consult: Canine and feline. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

3) Wilson, D. A. (2011). Clinical Veterinary Advisor. W.B. Saunders.

4) Veterinary Partner. Www.veterinarypartner.com

5) Yin, S. A. (2010). The small animal veterinary nerdbook. Davis, CA: CattleDog Pub.