The Truth About Canine Parvovirus

Canine parvovirus is a highly infectious and deadly disease. It can be spread to your dog when he comes direct or indirect contact with infected feces. Puppies are usually affected because dogs older than four months are usually vaccinated. So, what are some of the symptoms of this disease?

Symptoms

Dogs with parvovirus begin to display symptoms within ten days of being exposed to the virus. Also, the disease can take on two different forms, namely the intestinal and cardiac forms. The intestinal form causes symptoms such as severe bloody diarrhea and vomiting. This can quickly cause dehydration and open up the dog to secondary infections.

If the virus attacks the intestinal tract, it may damage the intestinal lining. This will lead to loss of proteins and anemia. In worst cases, the damage to the lining can allow toxins to enter the bloodstream. The cardiac form of this disease causes symptoms such as cardiovascular and respiratory failure.

Diagnosis

Canine parvovirus is diagnosed partly based on symptoms displayed by your dog. Since the virus is shed in feces, a stool sample will also be analyzed. However, dogs that have been vaccinated can cause a false-positive result within two weeks of vaccination. To make diagnosis even more difficult, dogs can also have a false negative if the test is done too late or too early in the progression of the disease. To make a conclusive diagnosis, a complete blood count is also usually done.

Treatment

It is important to start treatment for this disease as soon as possible. Treatment involves administering electrolytes and fluids to help prevent dehydration. Medications will also be given to combat diarrhea and vomiting. As you learned earlier, secondary infections can become a problem with parvovirus, so antibiotics may also be prescribed. Some dogs also require blood transfusions to deal with anemia.

It is important that you understand that there is no cure for canine parvovirus. These treatment protocols will only provide support while the virus runs its course. Without this treatment, your dog will die from dehydration.