Parvo and Your Puppy

Okay, folks. This is a serious post.

We see more puppies with parvovirus than we would like. It's a very dangerous virus. It is often FATAL. We think that new puppy owners just aren't aware of parvo. We'd like to change that. We are very much into client education.
From the ASPCA website:

What Are the General Symptoms of Parvovirus?

The general symptoms of parvovirus are lethargy, severe vomiting, loss of appetite and bloody, foul-smelling diarrhea that can lead to life-threatening dehydration.

Here's a picture of Bella. She's one of the lucky ones-SHE SURVIVED. She came to us after being diagnosed with parvo at FACE. We treated her as an outpatient, which involved giving her some fluids and some injections, as well as sending her home with some medicine. We prefer to hospitalize the patients in these cases, but we understand that sometimes it's just not possible.
From the ASPCA website:

How Can Parvovirus Be Treated?

Although there are no drugs available that can kill the virus yet, treatment is generally straightforward and consists of aggressive supportive care to control the symptoms and boost your dog’s immune system to help him win the battle against this dangerous disease. Dogs infected with parvovirus need intensive treatment in a veterinary hospital, where they receive antibiotics, drugs to control the vomiting, intravenous fluids and other supportive therapies. Should your dog undergo this treatment, be prepared for considerable expense—the average hospital stay is about 5-7 days.

Please note that treatment is not always successful—so it’s especially important to make sure your dog is vaccinated.

The following day was Thanksgiving, so we weren't able to follow up with Bella's family to find out how she was doing. We called on Friday to get an update. Unfortunately, she wasn't doing well. I feared the worst for her.

A few days later we received a call from Bella's owners. She was doing better! Luckily, she was able to pull through. It was so nice to see her looking healthy.

Here's the moral of the story, kids: GET YOUR PUPPIES AND DOGS VACCINATED!

From the ASPCA:

How Can Parvovirus Be Prevented?

You can protect your dog from this potential killer by making sure he’s up-to-date on his vaccinations. Parvovirus should be considered a core vaccine for all puppies and adult dogs. It is usually recommended that puppies be vaccinated with combination vaccines that take into account the risk factors for exposure to various diseases.

Trust us, it's much easier on your wallet to have the vaccinations. Not to mention the heartache that goes along with losing a pet. When we see a puppy, we always advocate the proper vaccines. We also call you to remind you when it's time to booster the vaccines. We want to make the process easy for you. We want to help you keep your pets healthy!

For the complete article from the ASPCA, follow this link.

-Lori