Parvo is a serious viral disease that can be deadly even if treatment is given. So, to protect your puppy from contracting pravo you need to have your puppy vaccinated against this disease.
First, let's look at what Parvo is and what the symptoms are. Canine Parvovirus is a disease that attacks dividing cells. The most prominent location for dividing cells in your puppy's body is the intestinal lining or the lining of the digestive system. When this disease attacks and kills these cells it causes dogs and puppies to not be able to absorb nutrients or liquids. Parvo is seen more in puppies than in adult dogs, but both can catch the disease. The reason that puppies are more affected is that they have an immature immune system.
What are the Symptoms
Symptoms of pravo include diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy. Most dogs when they are infected with parvo stop eating or have a loss of appetite, diarrhea, high fever, and depression. Their stool can be very liquid, foul smelling, usually yellow in color, and contain blood. The secondary symptoms appear as severe gastrointestinal distress, which includes vomiting and bloody diarrhea. In the later stages of pravo dehydration, shock, and many times death. . Parvo in some cases may also attack a dog's heart causing congestive heart failure. This can occur months or years after an apparent recovery from the intestinal form of the disease.
How is Parvo Transmitted?
Transmission of pravo is from one dog to another through their feces. Parvo can live for up to 9 months when the conditions are right where the feces are found. Parvo can be carried in an adult dog that shows no outward signs of parvo, but the disease can be found in their stool. The disease is not an air born type, but can be transmitted through the sole of your shoe and even birds may carry this deadly disease into your yard if they have been in contact with the infected feces.
Once parvo has invaded your yard or your home it is there to stay if you do not rid the area of the disease. Then, your next dog can and probably will become infected. There is only one way to kill the disease from your home, clothing, or back yard. You will need to use bleach! Soap, water or other household cleansers for your home or clothing will not kill pravo. You should use a mixture of 1/3 bleach to 2/3 water and disinfect everything that the dog has been around including your clothing, his food and water dish and any bedding that he has used. In your yard, soak the entire area with the bleach solution. You can also talk with your veterinarian and purchase a disinfectant such as Parvosan or Roccal which is designed for treating any areas that have been exposed to parvo.
What is the Treatment and Prevention for Parvo?
If your dog does become infected with parvo he has a 5o/50 chance of recovery. But, he will more than likely be weak and easily susceptible to illness.
The best prevention begins when your puppy is 6-8 weeks of age. You should also keep your puppy away from any other dogs until he has received his last shot for parvo. The parvo vaccine is usually included with the distemper vaccine.
All dogs and puppies are susceptible to parvo but there are a few breeds that seem to be more susceptible than others. These include Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, and other black and tan breeds. These breeds usually are more prone to contracting this disease and not recovering.
Without treatment your dog only has a 20% survival rate and with treatment an 80% survival rate. So, of course, the best medicine is to prevent the exposure and to vaccinate your puppy against this deadly disease
Ths website only provides BASIC information about Parvo. Your veterinarian is always your best source of health information. Consult your veterinarian for more information about Parvo and its prevention.
» left by Mike from NC (3 years 164 days ago.)
Your article is not accurate. Parvo is NOT always spread by feces of contaminated dogs...it IS airborne and can even be brought to an owner's property by wild animals and on the paws of cats. New strains occur every year that vaccines do not cover. Respond to this comment
» left by Kenneth from OH (2 years 271 days ago.)
Parvo can also be picked up from door knobs, floors and counters at Vet Clinics and Shelters. Survivors are NOT more suseptible to illness/heart problems especially if treated with amber tech products. Respond to this comment
» left by cheryl from memphis (2 years 145 days ago.)
every article that i have read tells me the same thing. my question is: what if you have a shot that's not up to date with there shots and your other dog has die of pravo. then you go get the dog up to date on his shot and show no sign of an illness at this point. what do you do? i have already sprayed the yard down with bleach. how do i save my dog? Respond to this comment
» left by CHARLOTTE from HENDERSON, KY (2 years 137 days ago.)
IS THERE A VACINE FOR PRAVO? I GET MY DOG SHOTS ONCE A YEAR ALONG WITH HEARTWORM TEST, DOES THIS BOOSTER SHOT TAKE CARE OF PRAVO? Respond to this comment
» left by jocelynn from redlands,california (2 years 83 days ago.)
do you have a treatment for 5 year old dogs?if you you do can you please answer the question fast? Respond to this comment
» left by Steve from NE (1 year 231 days ago.)
Mike from NC states that Parvo IS airborne. Can anyone in the know respond to this? I have always read that it is NOT airborne. Respond to this comment
» left by Melissa from UK (1 year 230 days ago.)
No it is not airborne, also the evidence he used to back up what he was saying is not proof that its an airborne disease, just that like the paws, hair, feathers of strays or wild birds or any other cats that have been in contact with parvo can pass onto your home area. An airborne disease is one that is transmitted through the air, e.g. influenza. Parvo is not the sameeee. Respond to this comment
» left by Tagala from Hannibal Mo (1 year 191 days ago.)
can humans get parvo fom their pets? Respond to this comment
» left by Phyllis from NC (1 year 191 days ago.)
is there another way to kill pavro virus that is on your lawn? without the use of bleach that will kill your lawn. And that is a good question Can humans get pavro? I also read the Pavroguard helps your pet get better in hrs if this product is so good, Why isn't the vet using it?
My Puppy had parvo and she was only 6 weeks old, the same night I brought her home she had parvo and I didn't know she had it. I never even heard of the disease after 2 days of diarrhea and vomiting and not drinking or eating I called the vet, She told me to take a stool sample and bring it in. the results were she had worms she prescribed Med's and told me within 24 hrs if the puppy does not do well bring her in. Well the next morning looking at my puppy I new something was very wrong she had lost a lot of weight. I took her to a animal hospital they told me she had parvo and there was nothing they can do for my puppy. I cried for days never thought I can love something so much in just 4 days that I had her. I had to put her down and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Respond to this comment
» left by maritza from miami (1 year 163 days ago.)
How to tell if parvo is present in your home and how can you treat your home for Parvo? Respond to this comment
» left by Jane Doe from USA (1 year 139 days ago.)
I just lost one Rott mix to Parvo because I didn't have the $1,000 to save him. He was put down. The second pup got it and for 3 days I used a Turkey baster and every hour on the hour fed her gatoraide. I also dosed her with anti-nausea perscription medicine I had - cutting it down to her weight. The 3rd pup came down and I am doing the same for him. My dogs are vaccinated. I don't know where the parvo came from. Am I to bleach my entire acre of land? Respond to this comment
» left by RVT from oregon (1 year 135 days ago.)
Or maybe just stop getting dogs...its on your land, and lives in the ground for up to a year....your best bet is to bleach everything (use one of those really easy yard sparyers) and wait at least a year before re-introducing any dogs back to your acreage.....just a thought Respond to this comment
» left by Experienced from NC (1 year 126 days ago.)
Humans cannot contract Parvovirus.
Parvovirus is very much like influenza in that there are many mutations. It is not like influenza in that it is NOT airborne. It may seem like it is because of the ease of transmission but it is not. Some sources are claiming that the parvovirus can live dormant for many years in the soil. The virus is then picked up and carried by any number of animals.
An unvaccinated dog can get parvo just by sniffing a small amount of the parvovirus. It is imperative that an unvaccinated dog is not allowed to roam free or taken anywhere that they can pick this up--petsmart, parks, your uncle's house where there are stray dogs in the neighborhood, THE VET (where do you think people take their dogs that have parvo?). When you are anywhere that they could pick it up, pick them up and carry them. Ask your vet to clean the table with bleach (only thing that's effective) before you put your puppy on it. Also ask that they put on gloves before touching your dog. If they are offended by these requests then they do not take your pet's health as seriously as you do, and I would recommend another doctor.
While researching parvovirus, I realized that many puppies come down with the disease after the first set of shots. That is also my experience with my puppies.
Luckily, with my medical background, I did not feel the need to take my puppies into the vet when they developed the symptoms of parvo. This probably saved their lives and also saved us thousands of $$. I have read story after story of people that are told that parvo is a death sentence and that they should put the dog down or spend thousands on a 50/50 chance of survival. IMO (some) vets are very incorrect. If you notice that something is not right about your puppy, trust your instincts. I did. I asked my vet if it was normal for 8 wk old puppies to be so lethargic. She stated that they were perfectly healthy and that they would perk up in a few weeks. (?! I know think this woman is an idiot) Two days later, Sable (8 wks-brown & tan mutt) had vomiting, then a small amount of bloody diarrhea. At 7 pounds, I know that she could have a really serious problem with dehydration very quickly. I gave her an anti-nausea medication but it did not stop the vomiting. Using a medicine syringe (no needle) I forced 2-5cc pedialyte into her every hour. I know that this kept her alive. About 36 hours later she was drinking a little water on her own and I moved to mixing pedialyte and canned puppy food. I had never heard of parvo. Had I taken her in, the vet would have recommended that I leave her for them to run IV and plasma...etc, as the vet told me later. I did take her in after a few days to test for parvo, which of course turned out positive (The vet put us into an isolation room, understandable, but from there, they contracted kennel cough). We had adopted two littermates and knew that the battle was only half over. Chewy developed symptoms 6 days after Sable but we knew what we were fighting right away. Her bought ended even faster because we caught it so soon. My girls are now eating solid food again and acting like normal puppies.
I have to tell you that I have had less stress working in a hospital than I had when I went through this. I slept when it was over. I still truly consider myself one of the lucky ones.
Our 10 year old boxer has not had a booster for anything but rabies in the last 8 years and did not contract parvo from the puppies.
If ever I adopt another dog, I will not vaccinate until the immune system of the dog is more mature. Just a thought.
My heart goes out to all of you that have lost dogs to this.
To anyone seeking info, you are on the right track by looking online, keep looking, you will find loads of material, and good luck.
A VET IS NOT SUPERHUMAN. THEY ARE JUST PEOPLE, THEY CAN MAKE MISTAKES. IT IS OKAY TO GET A SECOND OPINION. Respond to this comment
» left by Susan from Hueytown, AL. (1 year 36 days ago.)
You can also spread the pravoviris by being at someone's house that had a dog with the symtoms or signs of pravo on your shoes. Wash your shoes or it will keep spreading from place to place. I just took my dog to the vet today and he had pravo and my dog is fighting for it's life right now. A friend that I gave on of my puppies to came over a week ago and she just called me, her puppy is 9 mos. old and contracted it from our house....it had to be for all the dogs to get sick at the same time. So wash or throw away your shoe to fight the spread of this virus. Good Luck! I'm like the last person who wrote ...my heart goes out to you. Respond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (1 year 17 days ago.)
my rott/lab puppy is fighting for his life as we speak. He just wasnt acting himself last night so we monitored him and today we decided to take him to the vet. He tested positive. We think he contracted it from the mother. we got him from a pet shop 5 days ago. And they said there were 8 pups in the litter. When we went to tell them we looked to see if they still had any pups left and there were 2 and they looked exactly like ours. Skinny and dehydrated. So im sure that all 8 pups were infected. He never had a chance to contract it from somewhere he was born with it. I feel all your pain who have gone through this......... Respond to this comment
» left by popo from vancouver (1 year 17 days ago.)
seven days ago i bought a puppy she was fine for four then as the next few days went by i started to notice her health slipping i took her into the vet and since im on this wb site you know what she had, i also could not afford the bills i was facing so i was forced to return the puppy to the pet store, where im sure they put her down. i also have another dog that is just short of two and isnt up to date on his shots. im told i cant give him the shots that he needs to prevent this diease because they will weakin his immune system and if he doesnt already have the infection will then have a greater chance of becoming infected. so i am forced to sit around and watch my dog most likely become infected with this deadly diease because i didnt keep him up to date. im am bleaching, washing, scrubbing, shampooing every inch of my house and praying for my dog all eles i can do is wait to see those horrible symptoms.
also- all the pet store had to say is here is a gift certificate for another puppy come back and see us now!!!! i dont want another puppy! i want this diease out of my home Respond to this comment
» left by annette from kansas city (1 year 15 days ago.)
My daughter works for the Humane Society on week ends, has several animals two dogs and two cats, a puppy was in intensive care for a month with parvo a woman bought the puppy in because she couldnt afford the cost of treament-my daughter was in love with this puppy and had to take him home after making sure that her animals got along and he was healthy -does our new addition to our family always have a chance of having a weak immune system- he is a long haired Chihuahua10 months old Respond to this comment
» left by michelle (1 year 7 days ago.)
i realy don't care for this parvo. i had a puppy for 2mn. lost her to parvo. then found out my 7year old rot.got it and had to put down my baby. somebody needs to stop this i miss my dogs. Respond to this comment
» left by Brandie from Silsbee,TX. (1 year 3 days ago.)
Can a dog that already had her shots get parvo? Respond to this comment
» left by AMANDA MONDEY from CALDWELL,TEXAS (212 days 6 hours ago.)
I HAD A $%&*$%& ZU AND SHE WAS MY BABY FROM THE DAY THAT I BROUGHT HER HOME AND SHE WAS FINE FOR AS LONG AS I HAD HER, IN THE SAME YARD AND ACREAGE. ONE DAY WHILE PLAYING IN THE YARD SHE WANDERED ACROSS THE ROAD BECAUSE SHE WAS AN INSIDE DOG AND WAS NOT USED TO THE ROADS AND OUTSIDE WORLD MUCH SHE WENT ACROSS OUT OF CURIOSITY AND GOT RAN OVER BY A MOTOR CYCLE. SAD HUH? A PERFECTLY HEALTHY DOG GONE TO WASTE BY A SIMPLE MISTAKE. SHE WAS VACCINATED AND I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS AND SHE WAS ALWAYS HAPPY AND HEALTHY. I THEN PERCHASED ANOTHER DOG OF THE SAME BREED TO EASE MY PAIN FOM THE LOSS OF THE FIRST ONE, BUT IT WASN'T THE SAME SO I DIDN'T PUT FORTH THE EFFORT TOWARDS THE SECOND ONE LIKE I DID FOR MY LITTLE GIRL. THE SECOND DOG CAME DOWN WITH THE VERY SAME SYMPTOMS THAT YOU ALL ARE DESCRIBING AND I AM 99% SURE THAT IT WAS PARVO. I DID NOT TAKE THE DOG TO THE VET RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE I FIGURED THAT I HAD ENOUGH TIME SO I JUST MADE SURE THAT I MADE HER DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND MAY I JUST REMIND YOU THAT I HAD TO FORCE THE WATER DOWN WITH A SYRINGE AND MADE HER TAKE IN SOME CHICKEN BROTH FROM TIME TO TIME. I TOLD MYSELF THAT IF SHE MADE IT THROUGH THE WEEKEND THAT I WOULD TAKE HER ON IN BECAUSE I COULDNT AFFORD AN EMERGENCY DOCTOR BILL AFTER PAYING 500.00 DOLLARS FOR THE DOG. THE NIGHT BEFORE SHE PASSED, I GAVE HER A GOOD BATH,BLEW DRY HER HAIR AND FED HER AGAIN. SHE WAS FOLLOWING ME EVERYWHERE AT THIS TIME, SO I WAS THINKING SHE WAS FEELING BETTER BECAUSE SHE WAS MOVING AROUND MORE AND IT KIND OF EASED MY PAIN A LITTLE. SO SHE CURLED UP ON HER BED WHICH WAS RIGHT NEXT TO MINE ON THE FLOOR IN OUR ROOM AND WE WENT TO SLEEP FOR THE NIGHT AND SHE DID NOT MAKE TILL MORNING, SHE DIED IN HER SLEEP. TODAY AFTER HAVING MY THIRD DOG FOR ABOUT A YEAR WHICH HAD PROBABLY BEEN VACCINATED TIME AND TIME AGAIN UP UNTIL I GOT HER, JUST DIED FROM THE SAME SYMPTOMS BUT IN A MUCH MORE SUFFERING WAY. SO AFTER READING THE OTHER COMMENTS ONLINE I AM GOING TO ALWAYS VACCINATE AND KEEP THE DOG INSIDE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UNTIL THEY ARE OF UNSUCCEPTABLE AGE ONLY AFTER BLEACHING MY ENTIRE YARD WHERE THE DOG ROAMS. AND PRAY THAT IT DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN WATCH THIS HAPPEN ANOTHER TIME BUT YET AS A HUGE DOG LOVER CAN I BARE TO LIVE WITHOUT MY DOGS. SO YES BY ALL MEANS VACCINATE.
» left by Stephanie from Indiana (358 days 18 hours ago.)
The vet told me i could bring my puppy home a week after the second set of shots which would be ten weeks old is this true? Respond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (316 days 18 hours ago.)
Very informative. Thank you. Respond to this comment
» left by Dorothy from Canada (284 days 6 hours ago.)
This is a terrible virus & costly. Bleach really does work inside & out. The best prevention is vaccination but does not always help as I had parvo with vaccinated pups & it is heartbreaking. Respond to this comment
» left by jaireen from manila, philippines (272 days 7 hours ago.)
my 3 month old golden retriever was confined at the clinic 3 days ago for parvo...hes now showing signs of improvement..he still has a loose stool but no more blood...hes not vomitting anymore...he started eating small amount of food yesterday until this morning...the vet called me up to tell me that his blood temperature is normal...i visit him everyday and give him 2 capsules of transfer factor dissolved in water and administer it to him orally thru the use of a syringe (without the needle of course)...transfer factor was recommended to me by a friend...she got a golden retriever that got hepatitis and the vet told them that their dog wont last long...she gave her dog the transfer factor and her dog is very much alive and healthy for a month now....am still hoping for the best that he will be ok....i hope he could come home this week...its true...the parvo treatment is very very costly.....am just upset wtih his previous vet..coz ive seen blood in barney's stool a couple of weeks ago...and i asked him if he could perform a complete physical exam on barney but he refused telling me that the blood may be caused by a small wound on his anus...and its a stupid assumption....i changed vet last sunday when barney got worst and found out that he got parvo...good thing we were able to bring him to the vet before he got really dehydrated..... Respond to this comment
» left by Pisuka (232 days 6 hours ago.)
Yes very informative. I have a question, how long before your puppy that has had parvo and is doing good can go around other puppies and grown dogs. If little children are around can they be affected if they play with your puppy? I would love to know,because I am afraid to spend all summer in my home and my puppy not having a social life, which is very important for them. Respond to this comment
» left by CINDY from LOS ANGELES CA (214 days 16 hours ago.)
my puppy just past away from this.
I JUST REALLY WISH THERE WERE A VACCINE TO JUST STOP THIS!!!
MY HEART IS BROKEN!! Respond to this comment
» left by Jenn from Fresno, CA (213 days 16 hours ago.)
we just got a puppy. 2 days after bringing it home it gets infected with parvo, we also have a 5yr old boxer, when I took the puppy into the vet to be treated for parvo they told me I had to bring my boxer in right away for a vaccination, I like many others didn't have the extra money to pay for the vet bill so the other option they gave me was to treat him myself with antibiotics and electrolites, but since this puppy is still in my home and is staying in my room and i'm going back and forth from my room to the rest of the house, I'm scared to death that my boxer is going to get this terrible virus, I asked the vet what i needed to do as far as cleaning to get rid of this virus in my home his response was nothing at this point, if the puppy pulls through this after ward is when we will discuss cleaning and disenfecting because of right now it would be useless. BUT what about my other dog? does anybody have any suggestions or know what to do?
» left by Rachel Junkert from Rexburg, ID (195 days 21 hours ago.)
If you are looking at this trying to find information because you think your dog has parvo.......stop........take her to the vet!!! I have an airedale terrier (also black and tan breed), 3 months old. Our neighbors dog just died from parvo.......but before the dog died....they brought her to our house...she appeared to be healthy. Little did I know that dog had parvo..gave it to my dog. My dog was very ill, not herself, throwing up water, no appetite, and diarhea.....I didnt see any blood in it. She got skinny really fast, I couldnt help her. I took her to the vet and they tested her and she does have parvo. They kept her there the vet said we caught it before it got worse......it can attack their bone marrow.......without the IV and antibiotics, and anti-vomit medicine, she would have died. She is now acting happier than ever and it getting well. The best thing to do when something isnt right is to take the puppy to the vet. It costed me about 400 dollars for the whole vet stay for 4 days. But my puppy is alive!
» left by ANITA from LIBERTY,MISSOURI (4 days 8 hours ago.)
MY DOG,LONG HAIR CHIHUAHUA HAD HER FIRST LITTER OF SIX IN OCTOBER. THEY WERE ALL HAPPY AND HEALTHY AND BEAUTIFUL, I WATCHED THEM GROW, AND EACH ONE FORM THEIR CUTE LITTLE PERSONALITIES, AT 7 WEEKS OLD, I LOST MY FIRST BABY GIRL, IT WAS HEARTBREAKING TO FIND HER DEAD, THEN A COUPLE DAYS LATER, I LOST ANOTHER ONE, THEY BOTH WERE VOMITTING AND HAD DIARHEA, AND SO ITOOK REST OF THEM TO THE VET AND THEY HAD PARVO, I LOST ALL SIX PUPPIES,AND LET ME TELL YOU, I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING SO PAINFUL INMY LIFE. I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THEM TO DIE PERHAPS THE FIRST WEEK OR TWO, BUT NOT 7 WEEKS LATER, HOLDING THEM,LOVING THEM, AND TRYING TO COMFORT THEM, ONLY TO WATCH THEM DIE WAS HORRIBLE. I NOW PRAY THAT MOMMY AND DADDY DO NOT GET IT, BOTH HAVE HAD THEIR SHOTS, BUT DADDY IS NOT QUIET A YEAR OLD YET SO I REALLY WORRY ABOUT BOTH OF THEM. THIS IS A HORRIBLE,FATAL DIEASE, AND VETS WILL TELL YOU THE BEST THING TO DO IS PUT THEM DOWN SO THEY WON'T HAVE TO SUFFER.... AT $65.00 EACH, I COULDN'T AFFORD THAT, SO I HAD TO WATCH THEM SUFFER. I TOO FED THEM PEDILITE OUT OF AN EYE DROPPER, BUT IT STILL DIDN'T SAVE THEM THEM. I AM GETTING MY FEMALE FIXED, CUZ I FIGURE IT WILL JSUT HAPPEN AGAIN CUZ IT WILL REMAIN INMY CARPET, AND WAY TOO PAINFUL FOR ME TO GO THROUGH AGAIN. I LITERALLY HAVE A PET CEMETARY INMY YARD, I BURRIED ALL SIX IN MY FRONT YARD , WRAPPED THEM IN THEIR LITTLE BLANKETS, AND PUT THEM IN 3 GALLON BUCKETS SO NOTHING WOULD DIG THEM UP. RIP MY BEAUTIFUL LITTLE BABIES.
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