Parvo:
Provention and Treatment
The best way to protect your pet from parvovirus is provention.
Good hygiene and vaccinations are the best way to provent your pet from getting parvovirus. Puppies should get their first vaccine between 6 and 8 weeks of age and then two boosters at three-week intervals. If the puppie is still nursing then the vaccinations may not be effective. This is because of the maternally derived antibodies blocking the vaccine. That is why you should not take your puppy out around other dogs until it has completed all necessary rounds of vaccinations. Even with proper vaccinations a small precentage of dogs
proper vaccinations a small precentage of dogs don't develope a protactive immunity and stay susceptible to parvovirus infection. Isolation of infected dogs and the cleaning and disinfection of contaminated areas are essential to minimizing the spread of parvovirus infection.
If you think your pet may have parvo, get them to a vet ASAP.
Parvovirus is a puppy killer! A review of canine parvovirus by Goddard and Leisewitz in 2010 cited a survival rate as low as 9.1% in the absence of treatment, and 64% or higher with treatment. The key to your pet surviving parvovirus is immediate and aggressive treatment and even then, your may still not survive.
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There is no true treatment for parvovirus.
Since there are no drugs to kill parvovirus, the only treatment is the management of the symptoms. Management of parvovirus consists mainly of efforts to prevent dehydration and secodary infections. The best management requires admission and aggressive care with crystalloid fluids, synthetic and natural colloids, correction of hypoglycemia and any electrolyte disturbances, combination antimicrobials, antiemetics, analgesics, enteral nutritional support, and anthelmintics which can best be provided at a veterinary hospital.
Because inpatient care at a veterinary hospital can range from $1,500 to $3,000, euthanasia often becomes the only other option for severely affected dogs. But there has been some limited success in intensive at-home care of puppies infected with parvovirus. Research at Colorado State University has established an at-home care regiment that has had similar outcomes when compared to the inpatient “gold standard” of care at veterinary hospitals. Click here to go to CSU's web site for more information on their parvo managment protocol.
References:
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Glover S, Anderson C, Pointkowski M. Canine Parvovirus (CPV) Type 2b Vaccine Protects Puppies with Maternal Antibodies to CPV when Challenged with Virulent CPV-2c Virus. Intern J Appl Res Vet Med. 2012; 10(3): 217-224.
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Goddard A, Leisewitz A. Canine Parvovirus. Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice. 2010; 40: 1041-1053.
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American Veterinary Medical Association. Canine Parvovirus. 2009 [Pamphlet]
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csu-cvmbs.colorado.edu: College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Colorado State University: c2015 [cited 2015 October 5]. Available from: http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/pages/parvo-puppies-new-protocal.aspx