Mckenzie's Warning about Canine Parvo Virus

McKenzie

Mckenzie was an 8 1/2 week old puppy that had just been in to the veterinarian with her litter-mates for her first set of puppy vaccinations. Her next trip to the clinic was supposed to be in three weeks for booster vaccines to protect her from all of the terrible diseases that young puppies and dogs that are not fully vaccination are vulnerable to.  Four days later however, she was back in with a sudden onset of vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. Testing confirmed she was Canine Parvovirus positive. Treatment was started immediately but her condition continued to decline.

“Two decades after its appearance, CPV strikes much less frequently due to the development of effective vaccines. Outbreaks do still occur however, and it is widely acknowledged that the hard-to-kill viral particles are present most everywhere. Because of this, vaccinating your dog is of the utmost importance. Puppies and adolescent dogs are considered especially susceptible to exposure, and it is recommended that you avoid bringing your puppy to public places until after his vaccinations are complete.” (Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Baker Institute for Animal Health, 2007)
Initially emerging in the late 1970’s, Canine Parvovirus is an extremely infectious viral disease that affects puppies under six months of age and unvaccinated dogs. Being a viral disease like the common cold, it cannot be treated directly and therefore is deadly. Death is caused by secondary bacterial infections, dehydration, and intestinal problems.
“Parvo disease is spread from dog to dog mainly through exposure to contaminated feces. It is also spread through contact with fomites (contaminated objects). Common fomites include hands, instruments, clothing, food and water dishes, toys and bedding. Insects and rodents can also provide a means for disease spread. The virus can remain on a dog's hair coat and serve as a means of transmission long after recovery from clinical disease.” (Miller, 2013)
Normally there is an incubation phase of 4 to 7 days from the time of exposure and arrival of first symptoms. The two regions characteristically attacked by Canine Parvovirus are rapidly reproducing cellular areas such as bone marrow and stomach and intestines. When aggressively brutalize the bone marrow, it kills off immune cells thus causing the white blood cell count to drop.
Now the body is open to GI infection. The virus then violently attacks the intestines causing them to slough the villi from the tract ending in bloody diarrhea and the tract being open to secondary bacterial infections. The body can no longer absorb nutrients. There is severe Diarrhea and nausea that causes dehydration, and malnutrition. Eventually the intestines are so damaged that the infection makes its way into the blood stream causing the puppy to become septic. The result is severe blood loss and widespread infection resulting in death.
If the disease is diagnosed and treatment is started early, puppies can recover but the virus kills many. The survival rate is currently calculated at 75% to 80%. There are many other forms of this virus, the canine form, a human form, and even a feline form (Feline Panleukopenia).
In order to combat the disease, all dogs and cats should be vaccinated fully and on time from 8 weeks of age. Parvo is highly contagious and can survive outside the body for over a year so it is of great importance to keep your puppy and unvaccinated dog away from public areas such as dog parks, kennels, puppy classes, sidewalks, and any other area where other dogs may be traveling through until their vaccines are complete and your veterinarian  has advised you that it is safe.
Symptoms start as lethargy or depression and lack of appetite. High fever, vomiting, and diarrhea normally follow these symptoms. It is important that if your pet is suffering from these symptoms that you call your vet immediately and ask for their procedure for testing for Canine Parvovirus. Don’t wait; time is survival for your puppy.

Five days of treatment later, McKenzie was still struggling for life and now her siblings were showing symptoms. To top it off, McKenzie was now carrying a high fever. Her litter mates were hurried in to be treated and started to recover quickly while little McKenzie continued to decline.
The veterinarian had treated her diligently, but there was no change in her condition seven days later. She was treated with several different antibiotics, anti nausea medication, and was even tube fed to try to get some nutrition to her tiny deteriorating body. Each day, was the same thing, lethargy, no appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, depression, but she never gave up and the doctors never gave up on her. Hope was waning.
On the morning of the ninth day, all of her siblings had gone home healthy apart from Baxter, who was doing much better and scheduled for discharge that day. Despite positive thinking, the fact that she may not recover was now weighing heavily on everyone's minds.
That morning at 8:30 a.m. staff went in to check on McKenzie. She was up barking, wagging her tail, and looking for attention! All of the doctor’s hard work had paid off and McKenzie would make a full recovery!! All the effort, and research on the part of the veterinarians and technicians, all the hours spent on her care, it was all worth it to see her little tail wagging. She and her people thank Riverside Animal Hospital for never giving up on her and making sure that she made it home.

Works Cited

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Baker Institute for Animal Health. (2007). An Overview of Canine Parvo Virus. Retrieved 2012, from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Baker Institute for Animal Health: http://bakerinstitute.vet.cornell.edu/animalhealth/page.php?id=1089

Miller, L. D. (2013).  Disease Management Canine Parvovirus . Retrieved 2013, from ASPCA: http://www.aspcapro.org/canine-parvovirus.php