You may wish for you and your dog to share many good years together with a good quality of life. Some lethal animal-based illnesses, however, can put that dream in jeopardy. Parvovirus in dogs is a deadly virus that attacks the infected animal’s intestinal lining. Puppies are most susceptible to this disease, as their immune system is still under development. The best prevention for this disease is vaccination and being aware of the risks this virus carries if it invades your home.
Parvo, a shortened term for the disease, is highly contagious among dogs. The disease generally can be traced back to an infected animal’s fecal matter. Infected feces can spread the disease on the ground, so that contamination can travel through surface contact. This means that a person can track the virus into a home with shoes that have walked across contaminated grass, or petting your dog after you have touched a contaminated surface. If a pet has not been vaccinated and is exposed to this virus either through direct contact or from a contaminated surface, the animal may be at high risk for contracting the deadly illness.
Some breeds of dogs appear to be more susceptible to contracting the virus, though all breeds are at some risk for contracting the deadly disease. Rottweilers, Dobermans, German Shepherds, Labradors and other breeds displaying black and tan coats seem to be affected more severely in greater numbers than other breeds, though more research is needed in this area to explain why. Researchers also seek to determine why some of the canines do not respond to vaccines that work for other canines as a safeguard against the disease.
Once contracted, the virus feeds on rapidly dividing cells in the canine’s system. These cells are typically concentrated in the intestinal lining, which means the animal’s digestive tract takes a direct hit from the virus. This can lead to extreme cases vomiting and bloody foul-smelling diarrhea suffered by the infected pet. The pet probably will stop eating at this point and may or may not exhibit a high fever and lethargy. Early intervention can be critical to the pet’s chances of survival before organ failure occurs. Left untreated, the virus kills the majority of its canine victims, sometimes within a few hours of detection. With younger pets, the virus may attack the heart muscle and cause sudden death. Survival rates improve with aggressive treatment using intravenous fluids and antibiotics, but vaccination to prevent the virus from taking hold in an animal can be the safest course of action.
Puppies are at special high risk for contracting this disease, as their immune systems are not completely formed when they may face possible exposure from their environment or other pets. Antibodies from their mother’s milk may offer the puppies some protection in the early stages of their development. However, if one puppy is infected, the virus can spread quickly in a fatal manner through a litter, particularly once the puppies have quit nursing.
Parvo sources can be difficult to detect as the illness itself is so easily spread. You may think keeping your pet contained in the house or isolated in a yard will help keep it safe from the disease. However, any traveling wild animal such as a bird or rabbit can track the virus into the yard, leaving your pet at risk for exposure through contaminated water or a soiled surface. Another risk of exposure is if you have multiple dogs and take one or both out on a hunting expedition or to a dog show.
Interactions with other environments also can lead to exposure to the virus. If one pet goes out and returns home to your other pet that is not yet vaccinated, or you have a puppy in the house, it may be best for you to isolate the returning dog for a few days as not to expose the other pet or puppy with its still undeveloped immune system. Bleach mixed with water to clean areas your pet is exposed to may kill the contamination indoors and outside, but there is no way to guarantee the virus will not return, particularly outdoors. That is another reason why vaccination is critical for a pet’s survival in the home and outdoors.
Vaccination can be an animal’s best line of defense in protecting against this deadly disease. Veterinarians typically begin these shots at six weeks of age in a canine’s life. A series of shots then follow every few weeks until the pet reaches 20 weeks of age. Follow-up vaccines typically are recommended through the years as maintenance prevention for the rest of the pet’s life.
Pet insurance is designed to offer pet owners a financial solution to manage the costs of these types of vaccinations. Choosing to go through with this preventive care to avoid such a deadly virus can potentially save your pet’s life, but the treatment also can be costly, particularly if you already are on a tight budget. Different packages available through veterinarians for pet insurance may offer affordable coverage to consider helping you pay for this type of treatment.
Paying for the insurance to help cover the cost of the vaccine as prevention may save a pet owner even more money, as an infected pet generally requires intensive vet care and stay at a pet hospital for treatment that goes beyond what a pet owner can provide to save an infected animal’s life. Beyond that angle, there is the basic difficulty of recovery, depending on the age of the pet and its immune system and whether more treatment will be necessary. Those bills can be much more expensive than the basic preventive cost of shots in a young pet’s life.
Keeping a pet safe from a powerful and deadly virus can be possible through modern medicine. Parvovirus in dogs typically can be avoided with a course of vaccines for prevention. You may want to visit with your veterinarian to learn more about the cost of this potentially life-saving treatment.
