Parvo – A Potentially Deadly Diarrhea.
–by Timothy Hodge, DVM
You just adopted a 10-week-old puppy from your neighbor. The puppy seemed happy and healthy two days ago, when he came home to live with you. You named him Scout. Scout is a Pit Bull terrier mix, and is sooo cute! Scout loved to play with his new toys. He was eating great and housetraining was going well. You were so happy to have this new little bundle of energy in your life. However, on about day 3, Scout
seemed to be lethargic. He drank some water and then vomited. By that afternoon, he had a mild amount of diarrhea. You weren’t overly con- cerned as you thought that Scout probably had worms. So, you waited to see how Scout was doing the next morning. By day 4 though, Scout was very sick. He was vomiting every few hours and the diarrhea had now become bloody. Scout had no energy and seemed depressed. He was drool- ing a lot as well. By this time, you were very con-
cerned. You rushed Scout to your reg- ular veterinarian. Your veterinarian was also very concerned about Scout and ordered some tests. One of these tests was a Parvovirus test. Scout was positive for Parvo. You were devastated. You knew Parvovirus infection could kill your new best friend. So, your very responsible and capable veterinarian provid-
ed you with the following information on Parvovirus: Canine Parvovirus is a highly infectious virus that causes gas- trointestinal disease, almost always in puppies and young, adoles- cent dogs. This virus was originally discovered in 1967 and over the years, there have been numerous variants. The virus has emerged worldwide. Parvovirus is very hardy in the environment because they
have no fat coating. They can survive over winter in the ground, despite freezing temperatures. Many indoor household disinfectants are not capable of killing parvovirus. They are readily spread on clothing and shoes, so spread to the new areas happens easily and rapidly. Your veterinarian informed you that Scout contracted
Parvovirus through oral contact of the virus. The contact could have been directly from another dog’s feces, infected soil or other surfaces. So Scout, doing what puppies do, was probably licking or chewing and came in contact with the virus. The
58 THE NEW BARKER Photograph by Brian Kalish.
virus then incubated in Scout for about 3-7 days. Scout had not yet been vaccinated against Parvovirus and did not have a good immune response. The virus spread to the lymphoid tissue in the mouth and throat region. From there, it moved to the blood stream and to areas of the body that have rapidly dividing cells (intestine, lym- phoid tissue and bone marrow). While in the bone marrow, the virus destroyed young white blood cells, decreasing the amount in circula- tion. This causes an overall immun- odeficiency in the body. Once the white blood cells are decreased, the virus can more easily invade the intestinal tract. Infected dogs can shed the virus in their feces, saliva and vomitus which can continue for up to 2-3 weeks after infection. Thus, isolation is very important. Some dogs, your veterinarian warned, can also develop heart dis- ease from Parvovirus. Scout was showing all the clas-
sic signs according to your veterinar- ian. He was having bloody diarrhea. His white blood cell count was very
low. He was vomiting and drooling and had no interest in food. He was depressed and lethargic and acted like his belly hurt. He was dehydrated. His fecal Parvovirus test was positive. Scout had some chemistry abnormalities associated with the vomiting, diarrhea and infection. Scout’s blood pressure was checked and was low-normal. Since your veterinarian is also very thorough, an x-ray
(radiograph) was taken to make sure that Scout hadn’t swal- lowed anything abnormal and to rule out abnormal positioning of the intestines that can occur secondary to very active intes- tinal tract contractions associated with diarrhea. Your veterinarian started treatment of Scout right away. An
IV catheter was placed and IV fluids started. Fluid therapy is the cornerstone of treatment of Parvo and must be continued until oral fluids can be resumed. Your veterinary noted that Scout’s blood glucose (sugar) and potassium levels were low. Dextrose and potassium were supplemented in Scout’s IV fluids. Due to Scout’s low white blood cell count, your veterinarian also start- ed IV antibiotics. Anti-nausea and anti-vomiting medications were administered to help calm Scout’s intestines and increase his comfort.
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