Canine Parvovirus (Parvo)

Home » Canine Parvovirus (Parvo) » Treatment, Prognosis, Prevention

Treatment

Treatment for canine parvovirus is supportive and the goals are to relieve symptoms and prevent complications. Because the disease progresses so quickly, it is important to begin treatment as soon as possible.

In most cases, hospitalization is required. Treatment usually involves intravenous (IV) fluids, anti-nausea medications, and antibiotics to prevent secondary infections. Infected dogs should be kept warm and away from other dogs and activity should be restricted.

Treatment for CPV is not always successful, even when it is started promptly. In dogs that recover from infection, improvement may be seen in 2 or 3 days.

Prognosis

Puppies that are infected with CPV have a guarded prognosis (expected outcome). For dogs that receive prompt medical treatment and survive acute infection, the prognosis usually is good. Severe infection often has a poor outcome. Mortality is high in cardiac CPV and is about 10% in the more common, intestinal CPV. Following CPV infection, dogs may be contagious for up to 2 months.

Prevention

Vaccination is recommended to prevent canine parvovirus. However, vaccination does not ensure protection from the disease in all cases. There are two types of vaccine available: inactivated and live. Puppies should be vaccinated at 8 weeks of age, and then every 3 or 4 weeks until 4 months of age. Puppies who are 16 weeks or older should receive 3 vaccinations, 3–4 weeks apart. It is important to make sure all dogs are up to date with immunizations.

Good hygiene is also important to prevent infection. CPV is a resilient virus and can live on some surfaces for more than a year. A bleach solution containing 1 part bleach and 30 parts water (1:30) is necessary to kill the virus.

Care should be exercised when exposing a puppy or dog to areas where other dogs congregate, such as parks, highway rest areas, obedience classes, kennels, and grooming facilities. Owners should prevent dogs from coming into contact with the feces of other dogs. Proper disposal of waste matter can help prevent the spread of CPV infection.

© 1998-2008 Healthcommunities.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Canine Parvovirus (Parvo) Resources

	Join Our Canine Parvovirus Forum Do you have a question, want to share animal advice, or just need to discuss your pet situation with others? The healthchannels forum at animalhealthchannel is a place for everyone to share and discuss their pet's health and medical needs with other pet owners.	Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com Advertising Disclaimer
	Coping With Pet Issues Do you have a pet story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our, "Coping with..." sections.
	Our "Coping With..." pages are a place for pet owners to share experiences about coping with a pet issues. Many people, find comfort in knowing that other pet owners have had or are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your pet story. View stories already submitted.
	Videos
Are you interested in becoming a nurse? Take this test. Advertising Disclaimer To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer