Parvovirosis is an infectious disease that mainly affects young dogs and often ends in their death. If you have or are just about to buy a puppy, it is worth knowing what are the symptoms of parvovirosis in a dog, how is dog typhus and how to protect your dog from parvovirosis? Is the treatment of parvovirosis always effective?

Dog parvovirosisis caused by a virus from theParvoviridaefamily (CPV-2). It was first discovered in the 1970s in the United States, where it caused an epidemic of enteritis. Since then, almost every dog ​​around the world has encountered the virus, because it is extremely resistant - it can survive for up to six months at room temperature. From home disinfectants, only sodium hypochlorite (a substance present in, among others, Domestos) destroys it, but only after one hour of operation.

The virus that causes parvovirosis can be brought home on clothes, shoes, it can also be carried by rodents, other animals, and even arthropods, so even a dog that does not go outside can become infected with it.

The disease most often affects puppies between 5 weeks and 6 months of age. Younger dogs have antibodies passed on to them with colostrum by the bitch, while older dogs acquire immunity through vaccination (or disease and recovery). Old dogs (over 8 years of age) that have never been vaccinated are also susceptible to canine typhus. This virus also attacks animals with weakened immune systems. This disease is very dangerous, as nearly 40 percent of dogs suffering from parvovirosis die.

Dog parvovirosis - symptoms

In some adult dogs, the infection is asymptomatic, only for about 10 days they shed the virus with the faeces, while in young dogs this disease always gives characteristic, disturbing symptoms, depending on the form we are dealing with .

The more common form of canine typhus isintestinal parvovirosis . Her symptoms are:

  • drowsiness and sadness
  • violent and persistent vomiting
  • lack of appetite and thirst
  • increased temperature (after some time, however, it drops below normal)
  • watery, often bloody, diarrhea that appears after several or several hours
  • overflow noisesin the stomach
  • "tucked up" belly
  • rapid breathing
  • dehydration and weight loss
  • weaker muscle contractility
  • leukopenia and lymphopenia, which show up in blood tests between days 2 and 5 of illness

Affected dogs are more susceptible to secondary bacterial infections and may develop sepsis as well as pleurisy and pneumonia.

A rarer form isparvovirosis cardiac form . It applies to puppies in the first two weeks of life. The virus, most often infected by puppies from the mother, attacks intensely dividing heart cells (in puppies this happens until the age of 14). Symptoms of the disease may be choking and blueing of the mucous membranes, sometimes foam rolling from the mouth, but most often the animal dies suddenly, without any previous symptoms.

Parvovirosis: research confirming the disease

An experienced veterinarian can suspect that a dog has parvovirus by analyzing the symptoms, but the characteristic smell accompanying diarrhea is important. However, since similar ailments can be caused by some other diseases, such as distemper, bacterial and haemorrhagic enteritis, and even severe worming, veterinarians use blood tests for parvovirosis or rapid platelet tests that detect the virus in the feces of a sick animal - thanks to this, the diagnosis can be confirmed in several minutes. In doubtful cases, the doctor may also suggest the use of specialized laboratory tests: ELISA or PCR.

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Parvovirosis can be prevented by vaccination. Breeding bitch should be vaccinated up to a year, because vaccination gives immunity also to puppies in the first few weeks of life.

Puppies should also be vaccinated, but there are two vaccination schedules. In the first scheme, you can vaccinate the puppy at 8 weeks of age and then give him a second dose of the vaccine after 3-4 weeks. In the second schedule, the first dose of the vaccine is given at 6 weeks of age, followed by two vaccinations every 3-4 weeks. The latter scheme is most often used in places with a lot of animals, e.g. in farms or shelters.

Vaccination should be repeated every year, and in dogs over 5 years old - every two years.

Dog parvovirosis - treatment

Parvovirosis is very intense and destroys the canine organism, therefore the pet requires frequent visits to the clinic, it also happens that the entire treatment takes place in a hospital setting. The doggie must be isolated from other animals, in particular from puppies and dogsthe elderly or chronically ill.

Treatment of parvovirosis has several stages. To reduce symptoms, your doctor may use an immune serum that contains antibodies. For the first few days, fasting is also necessary, thanks to which you can reduce the troublesome diarrhea and vomiting, and thus the risk of dehydration. The dog must also often receive warm, rehydration drip of electrolytes, infusions of glucose, amino acids, vitamins, as well as antibiotics (the type of drug is selected according to the condition of the animal) and drugs to protect the gastric mucosa. In some cases, antiemetics are also given. If the diarrhea is intense and contains blood, the animal may also be given antihaemorrhagic drugs.

You must not bring a new puppy into the house where the dog was ill with parvovirosis.

After a few days of treatment, your pet can be given small amounts of food. Your doctor may also recommend glutamine (which covers the cells that line the gut) and a stimulant for the immune system. Treatment of parvovirosis usually lasts about a week, in the case of complications, the treatment may extend up to several weeks. The costs of treating parvovirosis are at the level of several hundred zlotys.

According to an expertdr inż. Jacek Wilczak, nutrition expert in the Noteć Valley, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences

Adequate diet is an extremely important factor in the functioning of the organism during illness, and even more so with a viral disease. This applies to both its form as well as the content and proportion of individual nutrients.

During the disease, the blood flow in the blood vessels related to the digestive tract decreases, hence the absorption of nutrients is impaired. Therefore, the digestibility of the food that we give to the dog during a viral disease is important.

Additionally, since parvovirosis affects young dogs during vigorous growth, the availability of nutrients is an important aspect. For this reason, wet food will be a better solution than dry food. Give your dog food in smaller amounts, but at shorter intervals.

The composition of the feed should take into account the increased demand for wholesome protein, which is quickly used in the regeneration process and guarantees adequate nutrition of the dog during the disease.

Lack of appetite during illness is completely normal, and the owner should act from the very beginning of the disease by giving small portions of food and properly hydrating the bodythe dog.

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Pets