parvovirus-in-dogs

Parvovirus in dogs

Parvovirus in dogs is a highly contagious disease, which unfortunately often proves fatal to young dogs and puppies.

It translates into a virulent gastroenteritis that easily kills the weakest animals, when it causes only a few inconveniences to healthy dogs. Although there is a vaccine to protect our four-legged friends from this disease, it is still very common and claims many victims every year.

 

Parvovirosis in dogs, what is it?

Parvovirosis, more precisely Canine Parvovirosis type 2 (CPV-2), is an infectious disease caused by a parvovirus (a kind of virus). It is also called "Dog Typhus", by analogy with the human typhus, a disease in reality very different, but which resembles it by its deadly and epidemic character.

The parvovirus at the origin of this pathology is extremely resistant, which directly impacts its great epidemic potential. Able to resist in the open air during weeks, even months, it is transmitted by contact between the mouth of the dog and the excrements of a sick animal or an area contaminated by these last ones.

In fact, dogs living in communities, especially hunting dogs, kennel dogs, shelter dogs and breeding dogs, are particularly at risk. More insidiously, owners who accidentally step in dog poop on the sidewalk in their neighborhood may also bring home contaminated soil that can infect their dog.

Because of the seriousness of the pathology, parvovirosis is registered in the very closed circle of "redhibitory defects". In fact, a master having acquired a small puppy which would declare a Parvovirosis after 30 days can require a refund.

 

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Symptoms of Parvovirus in dogs

Parvovirus in dogs is characterized by non-specific symptoms, mainly digestive. Moreover, not all dogs develop severe forms of the disease: it is the fragile dogs, and especially the puppies, that present the most severe clinical signs. Several symptoms, more or less alarming, can however direct you on the good track and let you think that your doggie has unfortunately crossed the parvovirus.

A few days after the contamination (5 to 12 days), the dog often presents an alteration of its general state: tiredness, abatement and loss of appetite are there, accompanied or not by fever. Digestive symptoms then occur, dominated by diarrhea and hemorrhagic vomiting, very typical of the disease.

If left untreated, symptoms worsen and severe dehydration occurs, leading to a drop in blood volume and, ultimately, to respiratory and cardiac problems. At the same time, the dog's intestinal barrier is compromised, and bacteria in the animal's digestive tract spread throughout the body, causing a generalized infection (sepsis).

Puppies can also develop a cardiac form of parvovirosis, although it is rarely diagnosed. This form occurs when the animal has been infected in the womb, or shortly after birth.

The parvovirus lodges in the heart muscle and, as in the intestinal form, causes tissue necrosis. The animal dies quickly of a sudden cardiac arrest or of a pulmonary oedema, without leaving to its owner the opportunity to detect the disease at an early stage and to make him look after.

 

Causes of Parvovirosis in dogs

Parvovirosis is caused by a virus, canine parvovirus 2, which is transmitted from dog to dog, primarily through feces. It is estimated that there is a large reservoir of healthy canine carriers of the virus, with healthy adults often being completely asymptomatic.

Fragile dogs, susceptible to severe or even lethal forms of the disease, are therefore significantly exposed to the disease through contact with animals that are not suspected of being infected - more so than is commonly thought. Once the virus is in the dog's body, it is drained by the lymph to the lymph nodes, from where it infects and deteriorates the white blood cells, cells responsible for the destruction of the pathogens.

At the same time, the parvovirus lodges in the digestive epithelial cells, provoking a necrosis of the intestinal tissues at the origin of the often severe gastric disorders, typical of the disease.

 

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Treatment and prognosis of canine parvovirosis

If you suspect that your dog has canine parvovirosis, it is essential to consult a veterinarian quickly in order to avoid a life-threatening situation. There is no treatment to eliminate the parvovirus in question, but the management of the symptoms it causes remains essential to keep your dog alive and avoid him suffering from long-lasting after-effects.

Depending on the severity of the clinical signs, hospitalization may be necessary to stabilize and rehydrate the animal. Anti-emetics and antacids will then be used to control the dog's hemorrhagic vomiting, and antibiotic treatment is often essential to remedy the damage to the intestinal barrier.

Vaccination is an essential preventive axis to protect dogs from Parvovirus. Let us underline that if the vaccine against the canine Parvovirosis suffers from a dark reputation, and more particularly from that of being completely ineffective, it is because it is unfortunately often used wrongly. Indeed, the injection must imperatively be done after the puppy is 4 months old, otherwise the antibodies transmitted by his mother - if she was vaccinated or contaminated - are still in his body and annihilate the vaccine.

Since this vaccine is included in the DHPP, the basic vaccine recommended for all dogs to protect them against the four most serious and common dog diseases, the injection is often given at 2 months of age, which makes it ineffective against Parvovirosis. In fact, the younger the animal, the more fragile it is, and it can be tempting to vaccinate it as soon as possible, a thought process that has everything to do with the bad reputation of the vaccine.

Considering this protection as ineffective - and it is when it is not properly administered - many owners give up the idea of having their dog vaccinated... And that's how Parvovirosis is still very epidemic today!

 

FAQ

What is Parvovirosis in dogs?
Parvovirosis is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by a virus, the canine parvovirus type 2. Because of its epidemic and often lethal character, it is also called Dog Typhus. However, its symptoms and causes have nothing to do with human typhus, and it is most often manifested by severe vomiting and hemorrhagic diarrhea.

What causes canine parvovirosis?
The Parvovirosis of the dog is caused by a virus, more precisely the canine parvovirus type 2 or CVP- 2. This virus resists in the open air for weeks or months, and is transmitted from dog to dog by oral contamination, when an animal sniffs too closely the feces of its peers or surfaces contaminated by them.

What are the symptoms of Parvovirus in dogs?
The symptoms of Parvovirosis are not very specific, although severe diarrhea and hemorrhagic vomiting are considered typical of the disease. A general depression (fatigue, prostration, anorexia...) can also occur, as well as episodes of fever more or less intense. Note that some dogs, often healthy adults, are healthy carriers of the disease and do not report any symptoms even though they are infected and contagious.

How to treat Parvovirosis in dogs?
Parvovirosis does not suffer from any old-fashioned remedies or alternative treatments, especially in its severe forms. Only a veterinarian can take care of the animal to control the symptoms of the disease and stabilize its condition until the virus dies out on its own. There is no treatment that can overcome Parvovirus itself, and the medication prescribed to a dog with this disorder will include anti-emetics for vomiting, antacids, antibiotics and sometimes antipyretics for fever.

How to prevent Parvovirosis in dogs?
It is essential to vaccinate your dog against Parvovirosis to effectively protect him from this extremely common and contagious disease. The required vaccine is the DHPP, which also protects the animal against distemper, Parainfluenza and Infectious Hepatitis.

Note that this vaccine is often given at two months of age, which makes it ineffective against parvovirus: a conscientious veterinarian will rather wait until your doggy is 4 months old to vaccinate him successfully. Finally, it is important to remember that the Parvovirosis of the dog is a particularly contagious disease, which still prevails widely in France in spite of the existence of a vaccine.

Often fatal in puppies, this pathology should be taken seriously, and every owner should learn how to spot the symptoms early to offer his dog a quick treatment if needed. Despite the controversy surrounding the vaccine, it remains the best way to protect your four-legged friend from this serious disease, provided that it is done properly.