Wellpets: Canine Parvovirus is a Dog Flea that you should Watch Out

Of all the bugs that a dog can pick up out there in the big wide world, canine parvovirus (often known as CPV) is one of the most troubling. This harmful stomach louse was seen in Britain during the 70s, it is not lethal however it may injure the intestinal tract of a dog which may cause death. Young dogs are generally at the highest risk.

Parvovirus is a germ, a bug. It’s carried in the faeces of infected dogs, but unlike many other viruses and bacteria, it’s remarkably tough. Heat and detergents have little effect, and what’s more: the virus can survive in the environment for moths. A dog can catch it unavoidably at any place even if it did not have any contact with infected dogs.

Once a dog picks up the parvovirus infection it invades the intestinal wall, causing serious inflammation and damage. The manner and place where the dog got the bug is difficult to pinpoint but the signs of infection is usually seen some time a week after the infection.

One of the most unsettling characteristics of parvovirus is that its first indications are very common and can be brought about other diseases. 

Diarrhoea and throwing up are clear indications in the early stages of the illness. The initial indications are not the reasons for the death but rather the damage inside done by the virus. The disease destroys the important lining of the intestinal system which may bring about dehydration and instigates septicaemia an infection of the blood that can be lethal. 

The key to successful treatment of CPV is early diagnosis, but unfortunately it’s a tricky disease to definitively diagnose. To begin with, diarrhoea and puking are the usual signs of a lot of other illness. Generally a blood test will be performed by a vet and it the outcome display a low white blood cell count, more test will be done to find out if the cause is CPV. The main ways to confirm CPV is to detect the virus in faeces, or to find traces of the resultant antibodies in a dog’s blood. 

If the disease is caught early enough, before severe dehydration and before the onset of septicaemia, a dog can make a full recovery (though unfortunately young puppies, which are particularly susceptible, are often the hardest to treat, as are certain breeds including Rottweiler’s. The first step is to ward off dehydration with intravenous fluids. To restrain the virus, antivirus drugs are given and to manage the symptoms, other medicines will be provided. CPV is always a serious illness, but with a swift diagnosis and thorough care there’s a good chance that a dog will make a full recovery. 

Given the hardy resistance of the virus to just about everything - with the exception of chlorine bleach - it’s very hard to guard your dog against the risk of infection altogether. It is good the there is a vaccine available because vaccination is the most effective way to ward off disease which puppies should get as part of their vaccination course, the later on it will be booster for them. 

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