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About Parvovirus
Parvo is a viral disease that affects dogs. This illness can cause severe digestive symptoms, as well as fever and shock and may even prove fatal. Parvovirus attacks rapidly dividing cells like those in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract as well as developing white blood cells. In this way parvovirus leads to symptoms like bloody diarrhea, vomiting and loss of proper immune system functioning. Puppies are more commonly and more severely affected than adult dogs due to their still-developing immune system. Puppies can easily succumb to this disease, especially when the virus infects the muscle of the heart.
How do dogs contract Parvovirus?
Canine parvovirus is carried by dogs, many of whom show no symptoms themselves. The virus is also shed in the diarrhea of infected dogs and can subsequently survive in the ground and the outside environment for a very long time - even several months.
Parvo is a very hardy virus and will survive most household cleaning and disinfectant agents. Chlorine bleach is the most effective way to kill parvovirus and is the usual recommendation by vets. Highly contagious to any unprotected dog, parvovirus may come into your home or yard very easily. Car tires, shoes, rodents and birds may all carry the virus into your pet’s vicinity. This means that even if your dog never leaves your property, it may still be difficult to provide adequate protection from this virus.
Which dogs are more likely to contract Parvo?
Certain canine breeds seem to be more susceptible to Parvo, including Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers, but all dogs can contract Parvovirus.
How is Parvo diagnosed?
As diarrhea may be caused by a number of other illnesses, Parvo needs to be carefully diagnosed either with a blood test or testing of the dog’s faeces.
According to conventional vets, there is no known cure for Parvovirus. Conventional treatment is therefore mostly supportive and consists of maintaining the dog’s body fluids, balancing electrolyte levels and maintaining body temperature.
How can natural remedies help?
Homeopathic treatment for Parvo has long been the only viable method of treating the actual disease as conventional medicine can only provide supportive treatment. Herbal remedies also have a role to play in relieving symptoms and shortening the natural course of the disease for quicker recovery.
What about vaccination?
One way to avoid parvo infection is to make sure that your dog is fully vaccinated. This is, however, easier said than done. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to successfully vaccinate a puppy for this disease and vaccination every few weeks in the first few months of life is commonly recommended by conventional vets. This is because the immunity a puppy acquires from its mother can interfere with the vaccination process. Because of the difficulty in conferring lifelong immunity to parvovirus via vaccination, most conventional vets also recommend that adult dogs receive a yearly vaccination against this disease for life.
The practice of repeated vaccination is, however, a controversial issue amongst holistic and homeopathic vets, who view vaccination as a threat to strong immune functioning.