Mountainview Small Animal Hospital Blog

Well, Parvo season is back, and in full force. Parvovirus is a virus that attacks dogs intestines and eventually the bone marrow too. The common symptoms, are anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, and as it progresses, diarrhea with blood. The main cause of death in puppies or dogs with Parvo, is dehydration and infection from bacteria getting into the blood stream from the intestines. This disease is rampant in our area year round, but the cooler, wetter weather of fall through spring tend to bring it out and it is much harder to kill in the environment. This disease is completely preventable with proper vaccination. The recommended protocol for proper vaccination for a puppy is: start at 8 weeks, and vaccinate with a DHPP, with or without corona, every 2-3 weeks until the puppy is 16-17 weeks. If you are unsure of the puppy’s age, give one more and err on the side of caution because if vaccines stop before 16 weeks of age, or are more than 3 weeks apart, the puppy will not be protected against this disease. Corona is another virus that causes diarrhea, but it has been shown that if a puppy gets both parvo and corona at the same time, there is little chance it will survive. This is why we recommend the corona vaccine in our area. If you find or adopt an older puppy, 2-3 sets of vaccines 2-3 weeks apart should be sufficient. These vaccines should also be boostered at 1 year of age, and in our area, with all of the parvo, we recommend yearly thereafter as well. Adults can also get parvo if they have been improperly vaccinated as puppies, or not boostered, or years have passed.
If your pet should happen to show any of these symptoms, please contact us or your veterinarian as soon as possible because time is of the essence in treating parvo patients. Aggressive treatment includes hospitalization with IV fluids, antibiotics, blood work to monitor bone marrow function and ability to fight the infection, and calorie administration as these pets are unable to hold down any food or water. IF this is not an option, some pets will do well with outpatient care, but often this takes much longer, and in some cases, fails completely. Hopefully, this blurb about Parvo can help save a few lives, as we’ve already seen 6 cases in the last 7 days. Any questions, always, feel free to call us at Mountanview.