Parvo

Unfortunately, we had to find out the hard way about parvo as we fostered a puppy that had it when she was placed in our home [ Hava ]. I did a lot of research in a very short time to find out what I could to help her and to protect our other animals. Here is what I've found out, in case it will help you too.



WHAT IS PARVOVIRUS?
Canine parvovirus, or "parvo" as it is commonly known, is a virus that usually the canine intestinal tract (canine parvovirus enteritis) and, in rare cases, myocarditis). First identified in the late 1970s, the virus is one of the most it is able to withstand heat, cold, and most common disinfectants.

http://www.hsus2.org/sheltering/magazine/currentissue/
jul_aug96/asmja96_feature.pdf
Symptoms
  • Loss of appetite
  • Lethargy
  • Diarrhea, often bloody
  • Vomiting
  • High Fever
  • Foul smelling, liquid yellow stool
Parvovirus causes severe life-threatening illness, through dehydration, acid-base imbalance, infection and shock. If you suspect your pet may be infected, it is an emergency and you should contact your veterinarian immediately.

What If I Have A Parvo Pup?
Keep the infected dog isolated from all other dogs for at least one month after full recovery. Use your 1:30 chlorine bleach solution to clean all food and water bowls and wash all bedding in this same bleach solution and hot water. Disinfect all other areas where that dog has been - linoleum, concrete walks, crates, etc. Discard toys and chew bones used by the infected pup. Check with your veterinarian to see if a booster shot is appropriate for other dogs in your household.

If you have had Parvo in your home, use the bleach and water solution to kill it. Parvo can live up to seven months, or longer, in your home or yard. Before bringing home another dog, be certain it has a strong immunity built up to Parvo. Have your veterinarian draw blood and run a titre to confirm how well your prospective dog will fare in a Parvo-infected environment.

Treatment In all but mild cases, treatment requires hospitalization and intensive management is essential. There is no magic drug to kill the virus and the patient requires supportive measures, which may include:
  • intravenous fluid replacement to combat dehydration and control electrolyte levels
  • medication to control vomiting and diarrhea
  • antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infections
  • blood transfusions - to replace protein loss, provide antibodies, help with anemia
If your pup survives the first 3-4 days, it will usually live. Dogs that recover are immune to the disease.

After your dog recovers completely, it should be isolated for at least 2 weeks and some resources advise isolation for as long as 30 days. This is in order to minimize spreading the virus.

http://www.mysticalpoodles.com/poodle-breeders-recommend/article6.html
Transmission of the Virus
Parvovirus is contagious to dogs only-not to cats or people. Any age, breed, or sex of dog could be affected by parvovirus. However, infection with parvovirus does not automatically mean illness. Several factors such as age, environment, stress, parasites, and general health status of each individual dog infected could affect the severity of the disease. The degree of illness could range from very mild to unapparent to very severe, often resulting in death. The disease is usually more severe in young dogs (less than 6 months of age), old dogs, Rottweilers, and Dobermans. The younger the dog, the greater the chance that it will not recover.

Parvovirus is resistant to extremes of temperature (i.e., it survives freezing and extreme heat) and is unharmed by detergents, alcohol, and common disinfectants. Direct transmission occurs when an infected dog comes in contact with a healthy dog. The virus is found in heavy concentration in the infected dog's stool. Because dogs will usually sniff where another dog has eliminated, this fecal-oral transmission is the most common method of transmission. The virus particles can be easily spread by hands, shoes, clothing, or other inanimate objects (fomites)-this is an indirect source of transmission.

As many as 30 billion parvovirus particles can be shed from the intestines of an infected dog in every ounce of stool. The highest concentration of virus in the stool is seen when the infected dog is showing signs of illness. A dog can, however, be a source of infection to other dogs without it having observable signs of illness (the disease may be incubating). Transmission can occur for at least 3 weeks after a dog becomes infected with the virus. Chronic "carriers" are not known to exist as in other viral diseases. Parvovirus in the environment can infect susceptible dogs for as long as 6 months once shed in the stool.

http://www.cpvh.com/Articles/39.html
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.

http://searchwarp.com/swa7490.htm
Treatment In-depth
Treatments for parvovirus may include one or more of the following:

Serious cases require hospitalization during which IV fluid therapy, antibiotics and anti-vomiting drugs may be administered. Severe cases may require referral to a 24-hour hospital.

Milder cases may require outpatient treatment consisting of subcutaneous fluid therapy, antibiotics and anti-vomiting drugs.

Daily physical examination by your veterinarian to assess your pet's progress is vital.

No food or water until vomiting or diarrhea has stopped completely for 12 to 24 hours. Only then can water be offered in small amounts along with small frequent feedings of a bland diet, including such foods as Hill's Prescription Diet I/D®, Iams Recovery Diet®, Purina EN Diet® or Waltham Low Fat Diet®. Your pet may also be given a bland homemade meal of carbohydrates (boiled rice or potatoes) and protein (lean hamburger, skinless chicken or low-fat cottage cheese) in small amounts. The return to regular dog food must be gradual over a 3 to 4 day period.

Fluid therapy is necessary if your pet is dehydrated, actively vomiting or has diarrhea. Severe cases will most likely require IV fluid therapy consisting of an electrolyte solution supplemented with potassium. If necessary, a bicarbonate supplementation may be required, which is determined after lab testing. In more severe cases where pets have become hypoglycemic (low blood sugar), dextrose (sugar) may be added to the fluid therapy. Milder cases may be treated with subcutaneous fluid therapy, which is administered in the loose skin over the back and more slowly absorbed. Pets with severe cases will almost always require IV therapy for survival.

Antibiotic therapy is often used to control secondary bacterial infection. Antibiotics (such as gentamicin or amikacin) must only be given after dehydration is corrected with the proper fluid therapy. Commonly used antibiotics are: cefazolin or ampicillin combined with gentamicin or amikacin. Gentamicin and amikacin are administered to your pet especially when there is indication of a very low white blood cell count (neutropenia).

Antiemetic drugs may be administered to your pet to control vomiting. Common drugs include: metoclopramide (Reglan®) given SQ or as continuous IV; chlorpromazine (Thorazine®); or prochlorperazine (Compazine®) by injection.

Gastrointestinal protectants are sometimes prescribed. Common drugs include: famotidine (Pepcid®), cimetidine (Tagament®) and sucralfate (Carafate®), prescribed only after vomiting is controlled.

Parenteral nutrition (such as PPN) may be suggested in very weak puppies with persistent vomiting and diarrhea. This is a special food that is placed in an IV type catheter; parenteral nutrition requires hospitalization.

Anti-diarrheal drugs, which help reduce bowel movements, are only prescribed for unresponsive diarrhea. These include: loperamide, oral opiods and diphenoxylate.

Pepto-Bismol® (Bismuth subsalicylate) is sometimes administered when vomiting has stopped.

Blood products (packed red blood cells or plasma) may be administered with severe blood loss, protein loss, or anemia.

Isolating your dog from other dogs is very important throughout treatment of parvovirus.

Nursing and caring for your pet is vital throughout treatment. Your pet must be kept clean and dry, and debilitated dogs must be turned frequently. Rectal temperature must be monitored frequently.

Worm infestation is treated once your pet is able to eat and drink. The common drug administered is fenbendazole (Panacur®), given orally for three consecutive days.

Prognosis is that 80 to 90 percent of affected dogs will survive and lead normal lives if disease is detected early and proper treatment and hospitalization is sought and administered. Prognosis is worse for high-risk breeds.

http://petplace.netscape.com/Articles/artPrinterFriendly.asp?all=1&artID=81&conID=16188
What If I've got Parvo in my home?
If you have had parvo in your home, use a strong bleach/water solution (1:30) or a veterinary disinfectant such as Parvosan or Roccal formulated specifically for control of parvovirus. Soak the yard with it -- better to kill the grass than your next dog! Be careful using it on carpets and fabrics, though. Prevent your dog from direct contact with bleach solution, residue salts, or fumes. Always wear protective gloves and clothing when handling bleach or other corrosive agents.

Parvo can live up to 6 months or so in your home or yard. Before you bring home another dog, be sure it has a strong immunity to parvo. You can have a veterinarian draw blood and run a titre to find out how well your prospective dog will fare in a parvo-infected environment. Adult dogs generally have a higher resistance than puppies do, but they need to be kept current on their vaccines. If in doubt, have your vet do the titre.

http://www.nwk9.com/parvovirus.htm
Contamination
Here is what we know about how contaminated an environment is likely to be:

Infected dogs shed virus (in their stool) in gigantic amounts during the 2 weeks following exposure. Because such enormous amounts of virus are shed, there is a HUGE potential for environmental contamination when a infected dog has been there.

It is important to realize that because the canine parvovirus is so hardy in the environment, it is considered "ubiquitous." This means that NO ENVIRONMENT is free from this virus unless it is regularly disinfected.

A parvoviral infection can be picked up ANYWHERE though it is easier to pick up an infection in an area where an infected dog has been present simply because of the larger amounts of virus present in a contaminated area.

Whether an individual dog gets infected or not depends on the number of viral particles the dog experiences, what kind of immune experience the dog has had with the virus before (vaccinated? previously infected? how much past exposure?), and how strong the individual dog is (stress factors, diet etc.)

A typical/average infectious dose for an unvaccinated dog is 1000 viral particles. For some dogs far less is needed. For other dogs, far more is needed. An infected dog sheds 35 million viral particles (35,000 TIMES the typical infectious dose) per OUNCE of stool.

Indoor decontamination:

Indoors, virus loses its infectivity within one month; therefore, it should be safe to introduce a new puppy indoors one month after the active infection has ended.
Outdoor decontamination:

Freezing is completely protective to the virus. If the outdoors is contaminated and is frozen, one must wait for it to thaw out before safely introducing a new puppy.

Shaded areas should be considered contaminated for seven months.

Areas with good sunlight exposure should be considered contaminated for five months.
Of course, the above presupposes that no decontamination steps (other than waiting) have been taken. In most households, owners want to know how to disinfect their homes to create a safer environment for the other dogs there or to create a safe environment for a new or replacement puppy.

Here's what we know about disinfection:

Despite the introduction of new cleaners with all sorts of claims, parvovirus remains virtually impossible to completely remove from an environment. The goal of decontamination is to reduce the number of viral particles to an acceptable level.

The best and most effective disinfectant against viruses (including parvoviruses) is BLEACH. One part bleach is mixed with 30 parts water and is applied to bowls, floors, surfaces, toys, bedding, and anything contaminated that is colorfast or for which color changes are not important.

Disinfection becomes problematic for non-bleachable surfaces such as carpet or lawn. Outdoors, if good drainage is available, thorough watering down of the area may dilute any virus present. Since carpet is indoors, it may be best to simply wait a good month or so for the virus to die off before allowing any puppies access to the area.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/
the_parvo_virus_in_the_environ.html
Clean up in your shelter area
To fight parvo in your shelter's kennel area, adopt the following daily cleaning regimen:
  1. Remove the animals,bedding, and all food and water containers from the kennel.Be sure to wash bedding with a disinfecting agent.
  2. Remove all solid waste (such as feces and hair).
  3. Rinse away urine with water. (Avoid splashing any feces or vomit from one kennel into another or into a common area.This is especially a concern for shelters where kennels share a drainage trough.)
  4. Using a stiff-bristled scrub brush and a solution of disinfectant, scrub all surfaces, including gates.
  5. Allow solution to stand at least 20 minutes (or time recommended by the manufacturer).
  6. Thoroughly rinse all surfaces.
  7. Dry the run as completely as possible before returning the animal to it.
  8. Avoid using high-pressure or steam cleaners to clean kennels.Although parvo isn't "naturally"airborne, it can become airborne when these systems break up feces into particles that can be inhaled.
  9. Thoroughly disinfect all cleaning tools.
Vaccinations
Puppies go through a two to four week period called the "window of susceptibility."When puppies in this period are given a vaccine, they may still carry enough maternal antibodies to destroy the vaccine's effectiveness but not enough to kill the virus. Depending on how strong the mother's immunity is,her puppies may enter this "window of susceptibility" as early as 4 to 6 weeks of age or as late as 12 weeks of age.Because a puppy's level of immunity is difficult to determine, vaccinations are begun around six weeks of age. Vaccines are usually given as a series of injections 3 to 4 weeks apart until the puppies are 18 to 20 weeks old.This vaccination schedule protects the puppy while he is no longer sufficiently protected under maternal immunity and hasn't yet built up his own system.

http://www.hsus2.org/sheltering/magazine/currentissue/
jul_aug96/asmja96_feature.pdf
THE PARVO PUPPY GOES HOME - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Medications
Your puppy will be finishing up a course of antibiotics and may also be on some medication for nausea or diarrhea. It is important that you give your puppy the medication prescribed for the full amount of time it has prescribed.

Diet
Your puppy is recovering from some extensive damage to his/her intestinal tract. It is typical for stool to be a little loose at first or for no stool to be produced for a few days as the tract recovers. The stool should gradually firm up over the first 3-5 days at home and your puppy should be active and of normal attitude. If the diarrhea persists, if vomiting occurs or if your puppy seems depressed, please contact your vet at once for instructions.

Your puppy may be ravenously hungry after going so long without food. Do not allow the puppy to gorge as this can result in vomiting or diarrhea. Feed smaller meals separated by at least an hour or two.

Do not feed table scraps. Stick to the diet recommended by your veterinarian. A prescription diet may have been sent home or a home cooked diet may have been recommended (such as boiled chicken and white rice, or fat free cottage cheese and pasta). It is important for your puppy's food to be easily digestible so stick to the protocol your veterinarian has recommended.

Exercise
Your puppy should be considered contagious to other puppies for a good month so it is important to "play it safe" by restricting trips to the park, obedience school or other neighborhood areas. If your puppy is less than 16 weeks of age, he/she should not be allowed in public areas until the vaccination series is fully completed.

Other Pets
Cats and humans are not susceptible to canine parvovirus infection. Adult dogs that have been vaccinated are not susceptible, either. Puppies, however, are at risk. If your sick puppy was indoors only, wait at least one month before any new puppies come to your home. If your sick puppy was outdoors, remember that it can take 7 months before the virus is eliminated from soil. (Freezing will preserve the virus so that any time during which the ground is frozen, that time does not count in this 7 month period.)

Bathing
Your puppy may be bathed any time as long as you do not allow him/her to get cold or chilled after the bath. Bathing will reduce the amount of virus left on the puppy's fur and will help reduce contagion.

Resuming Vaccines
Follow your veterinarian's recommendations. Your puppy cannot be re-infected with this virus for at least 3 years (and probably is protected for life simply by virtue of this infection) but there are other viruses that your puppy should be protected against. Your veterinarian will give you a vaccination schedule to adhere to for the future.

There should be no permanent ramifications due to this infection. The recovered puppy should lead a normal life once the recovery period is completed (1-2 weeks)

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/caring_for_the_recovered_dog.html
Advice I got from other rescuers in the community

06.07.05
You can do better than 50% against Parvo. There is a new treatment they are claiming close to 100% for. A lady vet at

Tustin Santa Ana Veterinary Hospital
Dr. Makar
741 West First Street
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 544-3124

is aware of it and was willing to talk to another vet about it for me. There is also a good spray available (at Petsmart) - I will get you the name of that as well. Opinions differ on how much detoxification needs to be done. I have read that it is impossible in many environments to get rid of it completely but that it may not be necessary to do so. I have friends who are more up-to-date on this. I can put you in touch with one of them for a good info exchange.

There is also a supplement called Transfer Factor that is used to beef up the immune system and is helpful with illnesses like distemper and parvo where the dog's immune system is the determining factor. My friends have used it with distemper and achieved a very high success rate - they reported the dogs running around and playing like they were not ill. In other words, even though they were sick they were not immune suppressed. I am out (expecting an order) or I would bring you some! My cat has congestive heart failure and is on the kitty version. My vet was amazed at her blood work which he said would be enviable in a completely healthy cat. Here is a link - you might want to consider having some overnighted:

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/tf/s/pets.htm

The human form, the Advanced Plus, is probably the best. Give a capsule 2x/day.

Hope this helps. Much of this originated in the wholistic community but the vets are catching on.

-Rob

06.07.05
Kim are you the one with the parvo puppy? I have had two at my house and they both survived 100% with no problems. One was a pure Rottie and one a rottie mix both females and both young. Hang in there. Go to your vet and buy some Rocal to disinfect everything. I didn't throw anything out - can't afford it. I just washed everything in Rocal.

Also see if your vet has some of this.....Septi Serum by Immvac....it's a miracle drug for parvo

-Carole

06.07.05
You can buy parvocide which is a little easier on your household products than bleach. It's readily available thru places like Pet Edge and other catalogs.

- Brenda

I'm sure you can take in new dogs before 6 months - the sun is also great for helping sterilize after you've done everything you mentioned. Rotties are particularly susceptible to parvo. Hope she pulls through - if she can make it 3 days, good sign. Holding good thoughths for all.

- Connie

06.08.05
My vet uses something that they teach at Davis Vet school and I think it can make all the difference. Everyone says it is a 50/50 chance of survival but obviously my rate is much higher and I believe it is b/c of his method. For the first 8 hours my vet always uses an salmonella anti serum. This is what they would use to treat Salmonella which makes perfect sense in treating an intestinal disease like Parvo. He uses that in the first 8 hours (injected into the IV bag) and then after that regular fluids with B vitamins. Food is withheld for the first 24 hours. My puppies have usually been well and released within 2-3 days. A lot of vets do not know what this is which is surprising. It is what they teach at Davis and that is one of the most prestigious vet schools in our country. It is not proven that it works but we know it does not hurt and so I figure it is worth it. The fluids are still going in and so everything else is the same. I just wanted to share this information in case you would like to ask your vet about it.

- Julia

06.09.05
Another thing to consider. I used to lecture people who had small puppies at the dog beach and warn them of the parvo risk. This was before I had a thorough understanding of immunity and vaccination. I later became an advocate of early socialization and decided to start taking puppies out at 9 weeks of age. It was not long after this that I ran into another dog trainer who summed up the situation in one sentence: "We lose more to socializaiton than we do to disease".

Puppy socialization is crucial up until 14 weeks of age. Vaccines for most pups are not complete until 14 to 16 weeks and for rotties/dobies they often suggest to vaccinate again at 20 weeks. If you keep a puppy away from other dogs and puppies during this period of rapid development, it will most likely have socialization issues througout it's life. This is when they learn survivial skills such as reading and displaying body language.

- Nikol

06.15.05
These are the questions and answers I asked the vet when we got Hava today:
What should I use to clean her fur and paws if they get dirty?
Nothing other than normal stuff is necessary
Wouldn't pedialyte and water be better than just water?
Only if the diarrhea comes back.
I've read a lot about immunity boosters like Septi-Serum - will that help?
Yes - they sent me home with Nutrigest which is similar (put 1/2 scoop over the food twice daily)
What are the symptoms of relapse?
Vomit. If so, back off of food for 3-4 hours.
What sort of activity level should I try for?
She needs to be kept quiet for at least a week. The virus will attack the fastest growing cells in the body and those are the intestines and the heart. It is important to keep her body rested to fight this.