Caring for your dog - How to minimise the spread of Parvo

What is Parvo?
Parvovirus is a particularly nasty and highly contagious disease, which usually causes gastro-enteritis with internal bleeding. The incubation period is about three to four days after which the early clinical stage of the disease begins.

What are the symptoms?
During the early stage the dog is initially anorexic and prostrate. This is followed by vomiting then bloody diarrhoea. Around four to five days later the stools will become a pink-grey colour, which is a common characteristic of the disease.

In the most acute form of the disease, the dog will become extremely dehydrated and will die within two to three days. In its normal acute form the dog will suffer a reduction in blood volume caused by the diarrhoea and vomiting as well as secondary bacterial infections and in these cases the animal will die within five days. Animals that have not died by the fifth day usually survive.

It is worth noting that many dogs can be infected with the disease but show no symptoms whatsoever.

How is Parvo contracted?
Infection normally occurs through contact with an infected dog or indirect infection by contact with objects which have come into contact with infected stools i.e. food bowls, toys etc.

How can you prevent Parvo?
The disease is at its most deadly in young puppies in the six to twelve week age group when the protection given by the mother’s antibodies wears off, so it is absolutely essential that a very strict hygiene regime is observed.

Preventative infection control is without doubt better than dealing with an infected dog and all the trauma that can bring, not only to the animal but its owners as well.

Kennels, runs, concrete and slabbed areas should be cleared of any debris or excrement and thoroughly spray cleaned with Canine Viroklenz ™. Beds and other surfaces with which the dog comes into contact with should be sprayed or wiped with Canine Viroklenz ™ on a daily basis during an outbreak or weekly as a preventative measure.

Canine Viroklenz ™ is a highly effective, broad-spectrum biocide, which has been laboratory tested and proven against Parvovirus and many, many other bacteria, and viruses that can cause problems to dogs.