Parvo is nothing to fool with! Here's how to prevent it.
Careless practices spread Parvo like wildfire...
Parvo. It's a word that strikes fear to the hearts of shelter and rescue workers.
Parvo is a disease that attacks a dog's gastro-intestinal tract and then moves
into its bone marrow. When treated at home, survival rates are less than 50%.
When treated with I.V. therapy in an animal hospital, survival rates are still
only 80 to 90%. Our vet called it "The Meanest Guy in Town."
Think of the most severe case of flu you've ever had - this is like a flu that's severe enough
to kill. If you've ever seen a puppy dying from it, you'll never forget it. I have, and
that's why I want to say and do all I can to prevent other dogs from the same pain.
None of us can remove all chances that our puppies will contract this disease,
but there ARE steps to take to minimize the risk.
First, make sure all of your adult dogs are vaccinated, de-wormed, and carrying
a healthy weight. The de-worming is important because worms weaken the stomach
lining, giving the Parvo virus an easy target. Then, be sure that all your puppies
get their first shots at 6 weeks of age. Give another shot every 3 weeks...making
sure that they get two after 12 weeks of age. You can take them to the vet, or you
can purchase the shots at a feed store or pharmacy and give them yourself. De-worm them as soon
as the vet says its OK to do so.
Keep your puppies in a room where they don't come into contact with strangers, or walk on floors
where strangers walk. And make sure they are never allowed to play with shoes you've worn
outside your home.
I know, you'd like to show off your new pup. But I'll bet you'd rather let him grow up healthy,
and its only a few weeks until he'l be able to meet and greet.
If you've been out where you've come into contact with other dogs, and especially if you've
held a puppy, change your clothes before playing with your own puppies.
If you bring a new dog into your home, especially a puppy, keep it isolated from
your other animals for 14 days. That is, unless you KNOW its history and know it
has been vaccinated. And, since older, stronger dogs can carry the virus without
becoming ill, keep your pup away from older dogs until he's had two shots after 12
weeks of age.
A pup who looks perfectly happy one day can be deathly ill the next. At the first
sign of intestinal upset, get that dog to the vet. If you catch it soon enough,
you may be able to save the dog.
Protect All the Dogs you meet...
Humans often spread Parvo without even noticing. By forming some new habits...
and instilling them in your children...you can help stop the spread of this
dread disease.
First...Wash your hands with antibacterial soap. Before you touch a puppy... wash your hands. After you
pet a dog... wash your hands. The thing to remember is that you don't know where you
might pick up this virus...
it could even be sitting on the handle of a grocery store cart...left there by some
other customer. So wash your hands! And if you know you've touched a sick puppy, bleach your hands.
One significant outbreak of Parvo traced back to kids walking home from school
and petting the puppies in yards along the way. They carried the disease along
their entire route from school to home. How many puppies suffered and died needlessly?
I don't know, but I'll bet those puppy-loving kids would be sick at heart if they knew
they'd caused it.
YES...they're adorable, and YES you like to give them attention and pet them...
but by doing so could kill them. Don't.
Next, if you happen to step in a pile... don't just wipe your shoes. Wipe them
with a mild bleach solution. You simply have no way of knowing if that pile contained Parvo
virus, so use extreme caution. If you know you've held a dog with Parvo, bleach
your clothes as well. And if you've had a sick puppy in your home, you need to
bleach all areas it occupied.
There are one or two commercial products made especially to kill the Parvo Virus,
but they're not readily available. The only grocery store product you can use to effectively kill
it is common household bleach.
Vaccination is the first line of defense and careful habits is the second.
Please use them both to keep your dogs alive and healthy - and to protect the other dogs you meet.
CATS ARE ALSO AT RISK!
Parvo doesn't affect cats, but there are other diseases that do. And they are just
as deadly. Use the same precautions with kittens as you do with puppies - but more.
Cat diseases are airborne, so don't take your kitty visiting anywhere until he's
had all his shots.
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