parvoarticle

Balancing the risk of your puppy contracting Parvovirus against the need
for socialization of your puppy, and the effort it takes to sequester your
puppy until the age of 16 weeks, is no small decision. In this article I
will provide a brief overview of what Parvo is, what makes it so
dangerous, and the actual costs of treating a puppy that contracts Parvo.

First, a bit about our enemy, properly called Canine Parvovirus. This
virus was unknown until the late 1970's, when it began appearing in,
and devastating, the canine population. There is now a vaccine that
produces immunity to the virus in adult dogs, and deaths due to Parvo
now occur almost exclusively in puppies. The symptoms of Parvo
infection are lethargy,vomiting and diarrhea. An infected dog sheds the
virus in its vomit and diarrhea, and a susceptible puppy will be infected
if it ingests even a tiny amount of that by sniffing or licking a surface
that contains it.Some dogs will get what is called a 'subclinical infection'.
They will not appear particularly ill, but will shed large numbers of
viruses in their stool nonetheless, and thus contaminate the
environment.

What makes puppies so vulnerable to Parvo? For one thing, if they DO
contract the virus, the virus causes vomiting and diarrhea. Because of
their small size they dehydrate quickly, and dehydration leads to shock,
organ failure and death. The virus also destroys the lining of the
intestines, allowing bacteria from the intestines to leak into the rest of
the body, causing a fatal infection called septicemia.

During the time puppies are nursing, and for a period of time
afterwards, they have antibodies to Parvovirus that they received from
their mom's milk. Interestingly enough, it is mom's antibodies,
circulating in the puppies blood, that will destroy any Parvo vaccine
administered to the puppy, as well as any Parvovirus to which they are
exposed. This is the reason puppies are vaccinated multiple times
between 6 and 16 weeks of age. Without doing an expensive blood test
on the puppy, it is impossible to know if mom's antibodies are still
circulating, ready to destroy any invader, including the vaccine. Since
one does not know EXACTLY when mom's antibodies are completely
gone, vaccinations are given at 4 week intervals between the ages of 5
or 6 weeks and 16 weeks. There is a greater than 90% chance that, by
the last vaccination at 16 weeks, the mom's antibodies are gone and the
vaccine will cause the pup to manufacture antibodies of it's own. Until
then, there is the chance that the pup will be experiencing a window
where mom's antibodies are gone, but the pup has not had a chance to
make it's own. The puppy has to be vaccinated during this window,
after mom's antibodies are gone. One that happens, it takes about a
week for the puppy to have produced enough antibodies to be immune
to the virus. So the safest thing to do is to wait one week BEYOND the
final vaccination at 16 weeks to allow your puppy exposure to areas that
have a higher likelihood of contamination.

Parvo is considered ubiquitous in the environment. It is extremely
hardy, and can live for up to 6 months even in freezing or blistering
temperatures. Any area where dogs have been in the last 6 months is
considered potentially contaminated unless it has been sterilized with
bleach. A dog with Parvo will shed the virus in its stools in the
astoundingly large number of 35 million viruses per OUNCE of stool. In
addition, it is VERY contagious. It takes approximately 1000 viruses to
cause an infection in a dog without immunity. The combination of it's
hardiness in the environment, the large numbers deposited in the
environment, and the low number required for infection, make it
extremely easy to contract. Once contracted, it is very dangerous. The
death rate, without treatment, for puppies contracting Parvo virus is
35-65%. With treatment, 80% of puppies survive.

What this means for owners of puppies under the age of 16 weeks is
that they need to seriously restrict the contact that their puppy has with
the environment, if they wish to avoid exposure. Not only are outside
walks in any place frequented by dogs discouraged, but it means
limiting exposure by not allowing visitors who have frequented such
places. Parvo can be carried on clothing, shoes and car tires. Walking
through a mall parking lot that has a pet store brings the risk of carrying
the virus into your home on your shoes. Many new puppy owners begin
a policy of 'No Shoes in the House' for this reason.

The next obvious question becomes, if treatment for Parvo is relatively
successful, then might not it be reasonable to risk exposure and just
treat it if it occurs? While that is a possible choice, one should be clearly
aware of the expenses before making it.

The blood test that will diagnose Parvo costs between $65 and $100.
Once diagnosed, a puppy that contracts Parvo requires intensive care
treatment in a veterinarian's office. A minimum of a 3-5 day hospital
stay is usually required. More blood tests will be required to determine
if the Parvo has caused the bone marrow to stop producing white blood
cells, and to determine if the puppy's blood proteins are too low, which
can cause fluid in the lungs. If either of those occur, special transfusions
are required to save the pup. The pup must receive medications to slow
the diarrhea, medications to stop the nausea and vomiting, and
medications to kill the bacteria that cause the septicemia. They also
require fluids supplied intravenously, as dehydration is one of the major
causes of death. All told, the lowest cost one generally sees for a
successful Parvo treatment is in the range of $850-$1000. Bills up to
$3000 are not unusual.

Finally, owners must be aware that vaccines are not effective 100% of
the time, and certain breeds (German Shephards, Rottweilers and
Dobermans) seem more susceptible to Parvo infection. Sometimes even
a properly vaccinated dog will contract Parvovirus. All owners should
learn to recognize the symptoms of Parvo (high fever and lethargy,
followed by vomiting and bloody diarrhea) and seek veterinary attention
immediately if they see them in their dog.