Useful Information on Dog Parvovirus Symptoms and Signs

The dog parvovirus is a DNA virus, very contagious, manifesting mostly in dogs at their younger stages of life. This virus is known to appear in two versions: cardiac and intestinal. The first form will affect puppies until they will reach 1 year old or they can be affected while still being in the uterus.

The virus can attack the heart muscle for after that to cause a heart failure. As to the other type, the intestinal parvovirus, both puppies and older dogs can be affected. The virus installs in the intestine area as the environment from down there is appropriate for rapidly dividing. Because the cells of the intestines are attacked, this will lead to diarrhea and vomiting outburst.

How can one dog pet owner know if his dog is suffering from this viral disease? There are some symptoms and signs that you can observe leading you to the thought that your pet might carry this contagious dog parvovirus infection. This disease is not new, since it has been firstly discovered in the 70s and slowly but surely started to spread all over the world as there have been many cases of this disease seen with various dog pet breeds and ages.

Unfortunately, nowadays this infection is quite often met with puppies and even adult dogs that can carry the virus and transmitting it to other dog pets. This infection is not completely showing off unless it is already completely installed, this is why it can be hardly detectable in its incipient stages.

The symptoms will however show within 3 up to 10 days before this infection installs totally in the intestines. Once these symptoms are noticed, you should immediately take your dog pet to the vet as death will be on the watch right behind the corner.

There are some other symptoms to appear with your pet suffering from dog parvovirus infection: lethargic and depressive states. They will tend to sleep more showing less interest in the activities happening around them. Besides, no appetite will be present and as if these are not enough, your dog will feel more fearful as well.

As mentioned before, vomiting violently is another symptom that should be monitored along with the diarrhea which comes more often in a bloody stool. All these come with dehydration as it is expected in the cases of diarrhea.

Dog parvovirus symptoms are mostly associated with those specified above, but it seems that the more obvious ones and more alarming as well, are bloody diarrhea and violent vomiting. These are due to the fact that this virus attacks the intestines making it feel weak resulting from here those tendencies of oversleeping and depression.

After these symptoms show up, even in the first 2 days of their manifestation, make sure that you consult with a vet who will further prevail some blood samples and say whether or not your dog suffers from dog parvovirus infection.