Did you just bring a new puppy into your household? Was your dog around other puppies or experiencing any unusual symptoms? You’ll want to know about this common disease that can be deadly to your pup.
What is Parvo?
Parvo – medically called Canine Parvovirus
This is a highly contagious virus that spreads either by indirect contact through a contaminated object or through direct contact with another dog that has been infected with the virus. This virus lives in the stomach of your dog and causes infection in the small intestine where it destroys cells, weakens absorption, and in some cases can affect the dog’s heart.
What are symptoms of Parvo?
Catching these signs early is key to getting your pup back on the road to recovery. Symptoms are visible as early as three days. The major symptoms include:
– Fever
– Dehydration
– Lethargy
– Bloody diarrhea
– Vomiting
– Weight loss
– Anorexia
– Weakness
– Depression
What Can You Do?
While there is no cure for Parvo, it’s important to take your dog to the vet as soon as your see any signs of this disease. Your vet will then go through the process of diagnosis, usually through blood work and in some cases running an additional ELISA test to look for virus antigens in your dog’s feces.
Your vet will be sure to give your dog proper care in treating the symptoms such as diarrhea, dehydration and vomiting. Another worry with Parvo is developing a weakened immune system, possibly causing secondary bacterial infections to occur. In this case your vet may give your dog some antibiotics to fight off the bacterial infections.
Prevention Is Key
Even though Parvo isn’t curable, it is preventable. All puppies should receive a Parvo vaccination. Also make sure not to allow your puppy in contact with other pups until they have had their vaccine.
To get your puppy vaccinated or learn more about Parvo, please give The Humane Society of St. Lucie County a call at (772) 238 5631 and selecting option 1.