Threat of Parvo Closes Local Dog Parks

Last night on the news was an entirely too short of a clip about a nearby city closing its dog parks because of a recent spike in parvo virus. For those of us with dogs—who happened to watch the news—this was a high alert. I recall last year in Baja, the family from whom we rented our house, nearly lost their dog to parvo. Luckily it recovered. However, that didn't stop me from bleaching the tile floors after they left (sans dog) from visiting us. Parvo can be found in the ground, on shoes and on the clothes of owners. The virus can survive not just days, but up to two years in favorable conditions. I didn't want Bella near it, despite the fact she's had her shots.

The city earns my applauds for being proactive and closing their dog parks. It seems vets were aware of this recent local uptick and unconfirmed reports had been linked to the parks. Parvo is shed via a dog's bowel movement and can still be present two to three weeks post exposure.  Just because you dog is vaccinated, doesn't mean he is completely off the hook either. An article in Whole Dog Journal states that even vaccinated dogs may contract the disease, although this is not normal.

Unfortunately symptoms of a parvo infection begin no differently than a myriad of other dog ailments: vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and loss of appetite.

PAWPRINT: This just in from Bella's vet:

We wanted to make sure all of our clients know that there is currently a community wide outbreak of Parvoviral Gastroenteritis/Parvovirus in dogs.  There has been a sharp increase in cases of Parvovirus in the past few weeks and an increase overall in 2012 compared to 2011.  

Puppies are most susceptible to Parvovirus and most die unless they are treated with aggressive medical care.  

With proper medical care, 90% of puppies (and almost all adult dogs) will survive, but treatment is costly ($2,000-$7,000) and many dogs require hospitalization in a 24 hour critical care hospital for 6-8 days.

We are especially concerned that several recent cases in our area have been in adult dogs and well vaccinated dogs.  (My emphasis.)

It is critical to ensure that your dog is current on his or her Parvovirus vaccination!  Parvovirus is part of the DHPP vaccine.  The DHPP vaccine should be given every 3-4 weeks to puppies until they are 16 weeks old, boosted 1 year later, and then boosted every 3 years (or less often if vaccine titers have been performed).  Please contact us to check on the status of your dog's DHPP vaccine and to discuss whether a booster or a vaccine titer may be indicated.  We are especially concerned about our dog patients who are less than 2 years of age, but all dogs may be vulnerable.  

Signs of Parvovirus include decreased appetite, decreased energy, vomiting, diarrhea, and bloody diarrhea.   

PAWPRINT 2: I stopped by the vet's today and she said the dogs that had contracted parvo were young, but not puppies, who had received their puppy shot and first booster. She didn't know why the uptick in parvo cases. I speculate here, but hope it isn't that there is a strain out there resistant to the vaccine!