Last Modified: 1/16/08

Parvo is a virus that affects dogs only. It is highly contagious, causes severe damage and kills more puppies than adults. This does not mean it is less likely to affect an adult, but an adult is more likely to survive. Parvo kills the cells in the intestinal track which can cause vomiting, weakness, loss of appetite, and diarrhea that is usually bloody. In new puppies it can affect the heart or nervous system, in some cases, leading to a fast and sudden death. Parvo is spread by infected dogs that may or may not show signs of being carriers. Parvo can survive as long as nine months in the environment. It can be contracted by coming into contact with infected feces, on clothing, shoes and skin that has come in contact with an infected dog and can lay dormant in carpets, rugs, furniture and draperies that have come in contact with an infected dog for up to two years. The only way to kill the virus in the environment is with chlorine bleach.

Parvo can be contracted by dogs that never leave home. Parvo is not airborne, but as it is carried from place to place by other life, all dogs are at risk. No yard is free from additional wildlife and any animal, possibly including birds, rodents, and cats, can pass the virus into an otherwise clean yard. Again, these animals are not affected by parvo, but carry it on their skin and coats. Anyone who believes they have come in contact with the virus should wash all clothes, shoes and hands in bleach.

Recently the United States has been attacked by a new, modified strain of Parvo called the F strain. It is believed to be the 7th mutation of the virus and is deadlier than it's parent. It is possible for the new strain to be airborne, but as I have been unsuccessful in finding a vet site containing a study of the new strain, I am placing all information I come across as rumor. I can tell you that symptoms are accelerated to the point that fragile dogs could die within a day of contracting the new strain, there is no incubation period. The current vaccines on the market will not protect your dog and there is no other prevention known, except for avoidance, at this time. I am also told it is possible for a recovered dog to contract the virus again and again. Avoid dog parks, pet stores, and other meeting places until more is known about the new strain. I know that it is common practice and a comfort to take your dog everywhere, but at this time, I strongly urge you to be very careful where you take your dog, where they walk and who you allow to touch your dog. If you are in an area of questionable sanitation, or around a large amount of animals, please clean all your clothes and shoes in bleach before you go near your dog. Clean your car and everywhere you have stepped. There is no cure and there is rarely time for treatment. I am told that the virus is prevalent in Texas, Georgia and Louisiana, but I have only heard of breakouts in Texas, so far.

I realize how scary this may be if you are unfamiliar with Parvo, but the truth is the only road to prevention. Unvaccinated puppies are like an interstate for Parvo. Puppies are not as resilient as babies and more likely to die, simply, from an unwillingness to live. A puppy is less likely to be able to cope with the therapy necessary to keep them hydrated and the separation necessary to keep the virus from spreading. Many will die from loneliness. Despite what you may have heard, puppies can survive, though they may have serious health problems in the future.

Parvo tests are administered by a special cotton tipped applicator that is inserted into the dog/puppy's rectum to obtain a sample of cells from the rectal lining. This is then placed into a solution and a portion of the mix is placed into a test kit. Diagnosis is based on a change of color in the paper used in the kit. Companies making these tests boast a 99.9% accuracy. Please do not believe the numbers. Dogs/puppies in the early stages of the viral infection may not show positive for parvo in testing. I have heard from enough people, whose dogs test negative, yet die, and pass the virus they are carrying to other dogs who then test positive, to realize that the tests are not as accurate as they boast.

Parvo scares me as much as anyone whom has come into contact with it's affects. I have had many neighbors warn me over the years that it has come into their household and I have spent many sleepless nights consoling owner's whose puppies are confined to a cage in a vet's office fighting for it's life. I have been currently blessed to avoid such devastation in my own home, but I am on constant watch for when my blessings run out. A very good friend of mine, whose last few months have been very tragic, has begged me to spread the lesson she has learned about this virus. The first step to take if your dog has diarrhea that you cannot immediately explain or is throwing up, go straight to your vet and ask for Parvo testing. If the test comes back negative and the dog's symptoms are relative to the virus have the test repeated in one to two days. Do not believe negative results as perfectly accurate as this will lessen your dog's chance of survival. A negative test should, at least, encourage you to keep a watchful eye on your dog for the nest two days for any other signs. If a second Parvo test comes back negative, have the dog tested for Corona virus, whose symptoms are the same.

Next, you have three choices. You can try an herbal, liquid supplement that I have only found online at the moment, leave your dog at the vet for treatment or bring your dog home and give him the same care your vet would; probably better. If you have an extremely good relationship with your vet they may actually let you try the supplement while under your vet's observation. I have not had to use the product myself and I believe it is fairly new. It is called Parvoguard. It can be purchased at:

Parvo Guard
Herbal Love
Triton Health

The one who told me about this had Parvo hit her home hard and she lost many puppies before parvoguard was shipped to her home. Once she had it and was able to administer it to her remaining dogs the attacks ceased. It is administered orally as the bottle recommends. If your dogs are already sick you will want to try to have it shipped next day air, if possible. If your dogs have come into contact with it recently, you have between 10 and 21 days before the symptoms will start. I still recommend you order it immediately and start your dogs on it as soon as it arrives. I do not know how long you will need to keep administering it, but you will need to disinfect your home completely while you are treating. Please remember that I do not have experience with this virus and have not had to care for an infected dog. My information comes from friends and readers who have contacted me after having dealt with it. I will try continue to research the virus and prevention, as well as treatment and cleanup. I just ask that you be patient and that if you have an experience, you take the time to email me with what you know.

Should you decide to bring your dog home, I have been blessed with an email from one of my viewers who has recently been through this ordeal. With her vet's approval she brought her dog home and she survived. Please let me repeat that, she did survive! The following are her instructions:

Most important; keep your dog hydrated. She did not want to eat or drink. We gave her pedialyte (recommended by the vet) and would fill up a syringe (the ones you use to give babies medicine) and would use that. Each time adding a little bit more. I would do this every two hours. If she refused I did not force her.

After the first day she ate nothing, but I constantly gave her pedialyte and the antibiotics the vet gave her. The second day I added canned food to the pedialyte, keeping it watered down enough to feed her through the syringe. I continued this for 5 days slowly increasing the amounts. During this time I only saw slight improvement but did not give up.

**Keep your dog confined from all other dogs. At the same time, I spent a lot of time with her, holding and comforting her. I made sure she was comfortable.

**Anything used to care for the dog, throw away (towels and blankets); however, you can bleach your clothes as bleach is the only thing that will kill parvo. Keeping your dog in a room that can be cleaned (not carpeted), again only bleach can kill the virus.

**Use plastic gloves to handle the sick dog.

**Don't let your dog relieve itself outside, because the virus will stay in your lawn/dirt. I used a diaper. The vet was actually very impressed with this idea and chose to do it with the dogs that were at the vet office at the time. Using a diaper kept a lot of the mess confined. As the dog improved she stopped throwing up so I only had to deal with the feces, which is where the diaper came in very handy. The diapers I used were for human babies. The dog diapers were much more expensive. I cut a whole in the middle of the diaper for her tail.

This experience was one of the hardest things I have had to deal with. Your puppy/dog will be very tired and look like they are about to die. They are in a lot of pain and every time they throw up or go to the bathroom they do cry. The best thing, for me, was I did not give up and worked very hard to save our puppy. It was worth it. She recovered after 7 days.

I am very grateful that this person took the time to email me and with such hope to offer. All I would add is, be sure that your puppy is getting as much liquid as possible to keep her hydrated. If you feel that the thicker formula is not keeping her hydrated, you may convert a small amount of your feedings to just pedialyte, not all, or you are not feeding every two hours, as recommended and need to really feed her every two hours. This will not decrease until she is more active and less hungry. If you are breeding and trying to save a puppy who has not weaned, do not add canned food, but mixed puppy formula to the pedialyte, as the canned additive is too hard for the stomach and will do more damage.

How you handle the virus, should it cross your path, is your choice. I only want to ensure you, you have a choice to make and your dog may very well live. If, not matter what you do, your dog/puppy does not survive, you have at least done all within your power.

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