Canine Parvovirus

CANINE PARVOVIRUS-

Canine parvovirus is a serious problem, due to the highly resistant nature of the virus.  It can withstand extreme temperature changes and exposure to most disinfectants. It can last in the environment for up to six months!  Dogs become infected with the virus by ingesting a small amount of contaminated stool. The virus replicates in lymphatic tissue, and then spreads through the blood to infect cells in the body that are known to rapidly divide. Rapidly dividing cells include “crypt” cells that lie deep in the intestinal tract and blood precursor cells that are located in the bone marrow. Sometimes the virus will attack the heart muscle.

Symptoms

The usual signs of parvovirus are vomiting, pale gums and a bloody diarrhea. Dogs are usually very lethargic and reluctant to move. They usually have a painful abdomen.  If the virus attacks the heart muscle or if there is severe anemia, there may be difficulty breathing.

Diagnosis

Clinical signs are very suggestive of this disease. We will check a stool sample to rule out intestinal parasites and run bloodwork to monitor the extent of the disease and help us to determine our treatment. There is a test to confirm parvovirus infection that we have at our hospital.  The test requires just a small amount of stool, but if your dog has been vaccinated for parvo anytime within the previous two weeks, it may give us a false positive result. For that reason, the test is beneficial to rule out the disease if the result is negative.  Abdominal x-rays are sometimes necessary to rule out intestinal obstruction that can sometimes occur when the unhealthy intestine “telescopes” on itself.

Treatment

Intravenous fluid therapy with vitamin and electrolyte supplementation is crucial. Vomiting and diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and some cases progress to shock and death. Antibiotics are very important to combat secondary bacterial infection and in case the “leaky” intestines should allow bacteria into the abdomen. Intravenous glucose is given to prevent hypoglycemia and medications are giving to settle the stomach and prevent vomiting. Sometimes a blood transfusion is necessary. The prognosis is guarded. It may take up to 2 weeks for recovery.

Prevention

This vaccine is given at 8, 12 and16 weeks of age. If you have an unvaccinated older dog, it will receive two injections three weeks apart. Boosters will be recommended by your veterinarian on an individual basis. It is important to keep your dog away from other dogs and anywhere it may come into contact with the stool of an unvaccinated dog. For some reason, Doberman pinschers and rottweilers are more susceptible to this disease and we may give a parvovirus booster at 20 weeks of age in addition to the puppy vaccines. A diluted bleach solution is necessary to kill the parvovirus in the environment.