Hello to all,

I am letting everyone and every list know what I have learned the hard way this week about the deadly virus parvo in dogs.

My dogs have all been vacinated and are up to date yet 2 of them contracted the virus and are at the vets under intensive care. So please booster your dogs shots even if you do not think they need to be. It takes up to 2 weeks for the shots to take effect.

Parvo can be in the ground for years, it can be spread on your shoes, cloths, car or from anything that has been in contact with contaminated feces,vomit or urin. I was always under the impression a dog had to contact another dog that was contaminated.....not so.

I was also under the impression that it was a death sentence to puppies but the opposite is true. Pups under 6 months have a better chance of survival then pups over 6 months or dogs.

Signs of the virus.....continual vomiting, depression, and diareah. If your dog has any of these get him to a vet imediatly. Death usually occurs from 48 to 72 hours after the virus becomes active. It is not the parvo that usually kills the dog it is dehydration and complications from the symptoms.

My dogs are both going to make it ..... at least that is the prognosis at this time. But it is $50 a day each for treatment, and one has been in for a week, it adds up to s lot of money. I wish that I had been better or yet more acuratly informed on the parvo virus. I am now going to 7 way vacinate my animals 2X a year to prevent the inoculation form having a chance of not being strong enough to combat the virus and incase I get a vacine that is not as viable as it should be.

I hope that this helps someone avoid the heart break of loosing a dog or the things that I have had to deal with.

Suzanne Wilson

-- Suzanne Wilson (mtsuz@hotmail.com), August 10, 2001

Answers

Where did you get the vacc . you gave them when they got sick ? Chances are they do not need to be done 2x a year , but the vacc was no good.Out dated or stored improperly

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), August 10, 2001.

So sorry for your trouble. Some dogs are like some people, they won't achieve immunity from vaccines. There are always a certain percentage that don't whether it's people, cats, dogs, horses etc. Also, if an animal has already built immunity(natural or from vaccines), no vaccine will be effective just as if a dog has a fever the vaccine won't work either. It is complicated as the virus changes and so does our dogs natural immunity to it. It's just the pits to have them sick. Hope they will be OK.

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), August 10, 2001.

Did your vet do a parvo test or are they just making a diagnosis based on symptoms? From my experience it is extremely rare for a well vaccinated dog to come down with parvo. The vaccines are very efficacious. Rottweillers are more susceptible due to poor intestinal immunity but most other breeds are immune with only one or two injections. I wouldn't vaccinate any dog twice a year because auto-immune diseases can be a bigger problem than the parvo. Also, parvo is not shed in the urine and does not contaminate an area for years. The virus is considered quite labile outside of it's host. It is easily killed with a 30% chlorox solution. If your dogs definitely have parvo and were well vaccinated and aren't rotties or dobies, I would have to wonder about the vaccine that was used and how it was handled. In my experience, your situation is very unusual.

-- teresa (teresam@ascent.net), August 10, 2001.

Our pitbull was vacinated and 1 month latter caught it.600 dollars latter she got better, we saved on costs by giving her drips our self after the vet showed us how.some breeds of dogs dont build up imunity well, pitbulls[ staffordshire terriers , and american pitbull terriers ]and a few others to.hope they do well, and thanks for the info for those who dont know.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), August 11, 2001.

Hello to all,

My dogs did have their regular vacinations.I get the vacines from a local supplier and they all get their shots at the same time.

I have had 4 vets tell me that the virus can and will live in the ground for years, if you go to the parvo web sites on the net it also states that it will live for a very long time. The vets also tell me that it is carried from shoes, tires or anything that has come in contact with contaminated animal waste, vomit and urin.

Both dogs were given the parvo snap test and came up possitive for the virus. Both the vets working on this case believe that the strain of parvo my dogs have gotten must be new to the area and is very persistant. They have both stated that it is possiable for the virus to mutate and become stronger then the vacine.

One dog came home yesterday and I am hopping the other will by Monday. The vet does not want to release him yet as he is still highly contagious with diareah and is still vomiting.

Thanks for your thoughts, Suzanne

-- Suzanne Wilson (mtsuz@hotmail.com), August 11, 2001.

There are a few new strains of parvo that have reared their ugly heads on the horizon. The most efficacious vaccine I have found at the current time is Neopar, as it gets protection produced in the dog that will resist these new strains. Most of the professional kennels in this area are using two doses of Neopar the first year followed with an annual booster, especially if they have had a vaccine failure in the past. Neopar is available through Revival.

-- Sandra Nelson (Magin@starband.net), August 12, 2001.

Parvovirus can live in the enviroment (ie:home, yard) for a long time, it is not killed by temperature or sunlight. Rotts, Pits, Staffs all tend to be a bit more susseptable to the virus. I breed AmStaffs (and show and train and rescue and yes, I always will take any dog I have bred or rescued back)and have nursed quite a few rescues through this disease. Right now I have 5 Rott/Pit cross pups (their mother was dumped on me when they were a few days old) They gat Neopar at 5 weeks, DHLPPC at 6 weeks, Neopar at 7 weeks and will get DHLPPC at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks (if I still have them that long, anyone want a pup?). I will also isolate them from areas that my other dogs frequent as the virus is generally spread through contact with feces or vomit from an infected animal. I do not allow visitors to my farm when I am raising pups either, virus can be tracked in on shoes. This program works well for me and I really like the Neopar and am glad to have another source.

-- Dianne (yankeeterrier@hotmail.com), August 15, 2001.

Dianne, just saw a show about a women who trains pitts [ or staff?] cant remember which , for tracking! I was always trying to get my husband to take gracie[ staff]into tracking as she has the most phenominal nose [ got her into trouble alot ,like the year of the valintine candy but we wont go in that].I think this is a great use for them. But then I always thought they would make great police dogs [ nothing is scaryer then a mad 100lb staff after you]. So hopefully we will see some good press about these unusual dogs for a change.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), August 15, 2001.

I wanted to post a site for a herbal product that I will credit for saving my blue heelers life. It is called Parvaid, the site is www.ambertech.com

My 9 month old pup fully vaccinated, came down with F strain, the day he vomited water and would not eat I started oral electrolyte by the spoon full every few minutes, adding honey after the 1st day, then added a tablespoon of yogurt ever few hours always watching for distress of any kind, and then useing the herbal tea (above website) until the parvaid arrived.

Over the last 6 days the pup has lost about 8lbs, and has managed 3 full 24 hour periods of not vomiting while on the herbals, I thought he was well, (too soon) because he acted so normal and the vomiting returned so I had to start treatment again. (the vet told me up to 10 days) I am treating all the other dogs as well, (4 dogs on iv would be impossible for us)

This has been a ray of hope for us.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), October 16, 2001.

Thumper can you put an iv in or do you have a vet that would be willing to teach you ? The lactate ringers are cheap and the tubing doesnt cost much either .I feel so bad for you and your dog {i have a heeler too] Hopefully all is better soon.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 16, 2001.

I've had no luck (so far) with finding a vet that isn't attiude central, the type that if You aren't totally grateful that they let you pay them for entering their office becuase they know every thing and your just an ignorant pet owner, maybe because we are in the city, and they don't have to have a good relationship with their clients. Years ago went to a very good one who asked lots of questions and gave compliments on my interest in good pet health care. So I learned alot, mostly when I really need a vet or not. I don't run my child to the doctor for every sniffle either. I resurch and study, ask advice, and pray. Then I can live peaceably with the decisions I make.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), October 17, 2001.

You can also inject lactated ringers subq for dehydration. And there are always folks around who can get drugs from vets and ship them to other states or countries. Done all the time. Don't go without something because a vet has decided this for you! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 17, 2001.

Thank you Vicki, I hadn't even thought to ask about that, the vet I buy vaccine from doesn't do x-rsys or surgery, and the assitant's attitude was well did YOU? veccinate them? to the dog has parvo, and the other dogs will get it too, and there is nothing you can do about it, meybe she thought I was going to blame them for the vaccine?

But he is doing well, eating as much as I give him, asking for more, And at the moment has a healthy dose of, going to poop soon puppy gas, (I think he has a little garlic energizer bunny in his gut) and none of the other dogs have gotten sick yet.

So we are doing good in OKC

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), October 17, 2001.