Parvovirus in Dogs

Canine parvovirus is an infectious disorder, and is one of the most serious dog illnesses. As the name suggests, parvovirus is a virus; it has two major strains, known as canine parvovirus type 1 or CPV-1 and canine parvovirus type 2 or CPV-2. The CPV-2 strain has however, mutated several times, and the result is three new strains of the virus, which are known as CPV-2a, CPV-2b and CPV-2c. The disease caused by canine parvovirus is usually referred as 'parvo', which is a highly contagious disease.

The virus is shed in the stool of the infected dogs, and the disease spreads through contact with such feces. Generally, the virus enters the body through the mouth and nasal tissues, and attacks the intestinal tract, muscle of the heart and white blood cells. Such an attack on the vital parts of the body can even cause death of the affected animal. Usually, certain dog breeds like Rottweilers, Beagles, Doberman Pinscher, and other tan and black breeds are found to be more likely to contact this disease.

Canine Parvovirus Symptoms

The incubation period is about 1 to 2 weeks, i.e. it can take about one to two weeks for the symptoms of the infection to appear from the initial exposure to the virus. Many times, adult dogs may not exhibit any symptom at all. But, in puppies younger than 12 weeks, parvovirus can produce severe symptoms, especially cardiac symptoms. The most common symptoms produced by cardiac parvo are inflammation of the heart muscles and necrosis, which can manifest in breathing difficulty. Eventually, the condition can result in death of the affected puppies. However, this type of parvovirus infection is rare, and usually, transmitted only from the infected mothers to their unborn puppies.

The most common type of parvovirus infection is parvovirus enteritis, where the virus attacks the lining of the intestinal tract. Parvovirus enteritis is characterized by lethargy, and gastrointestinal discomforts like diarrhea, usually bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever, foul-smelling stool and dehydration. The virus can also attack and reduce the count of white blood cells. Dehydration caused by parvovirus enteritis can disrupt the electrolyte balance in the body. All these complications make the infected dog very weak, and susceptible to secondary infections.

Canine Parvovirus Treatment

It can be detected with the help of ELISA or enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay antigen test and hemagglutination test. Treatment for parvovirus is basically supportive in nature. To compensate the fluid lost due to diarrhea and vomiting, and to maintain electrolyte balance in the body, oral or subcutaneous administration of electrolyte solution is carried out. Severe cases of infection, however would require intravenous administration of electrolyte solution. In case of secondary infection, antibiotics are given. In the meantime, severe vomiting and nausea may necessitate the administration of appropriate medications, to control these symptoms.

In an extremely severe case, blood or plasma transfusion can also be required. This can compensate the loss of protein and antibodies, due to this viral infectious disease. Sometimes, parvovirus infection can lead to shock, for which corticosteroids can be used. Once, the gastrointestinal symptoms resolve, de-worming medications are given for treating this condition. Vaccinations is on the other hand, an option to provide protection to the dogs against this dangerous virus. Currently, vaccinations for all the strains of CPV-2 virus are available. However, certain reservations are expressed by some people regarding the use of vaccines. As the vaccines for this disease are live attenuated vaccines, some people have expressed the concern that, the altered virus may become virulent and cause infection. But till now, no studies have confirmed this supposition, and hence, these vaccines are largely considered as a safe option for providing protection against this disease. The vaccination has helped to control the spread of the virus, and lower the incidence of the cardiac form of the parvovirus infection. But, still many dogs contact this dangerous virus, even after being vaccinated.

The best way to protect your dogs from this infection is to prevent the spread of the virus. This can be done by keeping your dog away from the stool or vomit of the other infected dogs and animals. Bleach can inactivate parvovirus, so you can use bleach solution for cleaning places which are contaminated with stool or feces, to prevent the spread of the virus. Home treatment with colloidal silver and natural remedy like Parvaid are used by many pet owners. But, it is better to consult a veterinarian than relying on these methods for treating this condition.