Signs Of Deadly Parvo Virus And What You Should Know

Canine Parvovirus Infection, most of the time just called Parvo for short, is a highly infectious virus that is one of the most dangerous and deadly that your dog can contract. Parvo is also highly infectious, so if one dog in a kennel is infected it's quite likely that all the dogs that are not vaccinated will become infected too. There are some warning signs that you need to watch out for if your dog is susceptible to Parvo, let's go over those now.

The most obvious sign of Parvo will be if your dog has bloody diarrhea, he may also have vomiting, a loss of appetite, and a low body temperature as well. Because of the diarrhea and vomiting, it's highly likely that your dog will become very dehydrated, this dehydration is one of the most dangerous parts of the infection and can lead to death. This deadly virus is mostly spread through contaminated stools that an infected dog will have for several weeks, even after the disease is mostly gone. Nearly any dog that comes in contact with the contaminated feces can come down with the disease, if they are susceptible.

If you think your dog is infected and showing some of the symptoms in the paragraph above, he should be taken immediately to the veterinarian for tests. The Vet can take x-rays and do an

ultrasound of the abdomen, test the urine, or examine the stools and vomit for the presence of the virus. But the most important thing is to immediately give your dog IV fluids in order to get your dog re-hydrated. When your dog is vomiting and has diarrhea all the water that he drinks goes right through him, or comes back up, and none gets into his system, so dehydration can be deadly.

The absolute best way to keep your dog safe from Canine Parvovirus Infection is to make sure that you get him vaccinated according to your veterinarian's recommendations. Initially you can start at six weeks of age with the first vaccination, with a booster at nine weeks and another at 12 weeks old. During this time your dog is still susceptible to the virus and his play with other dogs should be kept at a minimum, or screen other dogs, only allowing play with dogs that have also been vaccinated.

As you can see, Canine Parvovirus is a very deadly and contagious disease. However, it's easy to prevent by merely following your veterinarian's recommendation for vaccinations. Vaccinations are an incredibly cheap alternative to the high cost of saving your dog's life after he contracts this sometimes fatal disease.

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