Parvovirus (Parvo) is a highly contagious deadly virus that attacks primarily the intestines. There’s another form of Parvo that attacks the heart as well. Parvo can be transmitted by a person, animal or anything that comes in contact with an infected dog’s feces. The virus can actually live for months on things like shoes that have stepped in infected feces, on food and water bowls, even on the floors. This is just one reason why it makes my blood boil when I see dog feces littered in the streets and in parks where children play. Not cleaning up after one’s dog is not only disgusting and offensive, it can actually be dangerous if a dog happens to be infected with Parvovirus and someone steps in it’s feces, tracking the virus with them everywhere they go. A dog owner that is irresponsible enough not to clean up after their dog is probably irresponsible enough not to vaccinate their dog. Don’t let your dog sniff the feces of other dogs. Dogs contract illnesses like Parvo by sniffing, inhaling the virus through their nostrils.
Symptoms of
parvo include vomiting, bloody and/or very foul smelling diarrhea, lethargy, loss
of appetite and weight loss. There is
some treatment available to address the symptoms of Parvo, but there is no way
to kill the virus itself. There is no “cure”
for Parvo. Treatment would be very
expensive and lengthy, and an awful thing for your puppy to endure. Parvovirus in dogs should not be confused
with the human Parvovirus B19 illness, they are not the same thing. We don’t get
Parvovirus B19 from dogs, and they don’t get Parvovirus from us. See the web site www.Mayoclinic.org to learn more about the
human Parvovirus B19.
To see a
video by PetMd that explains more about Parvovirus, access this link:
http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_dg_canine_parvovirus_infection
If you’re
thinking about adopting a puppy or dog this season, check out my post Adopting
a New Dog? 8 Questions to Ask Before You Adopt posted on April 7th,
2014.
Wishing you
all a happy Spring, and healthy puppies everywhere!
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