09/25/2025
My post on Pyometra was well received, so I figured we should talk about another disease that is 100% preventable…. Parvo.
Before I go into a description of Parvo, I thought I would go over a real case. This is Papaya. Papaya was a stray puppy that we treated for 10 days. Her case was one of the worst Parvo cases I have ever treated. In total she received IV fluids, required a feeding tube, canine fresh frozen plasma, vetstarch, radiographs daily, bloodwork daily, ultrasounds daily, potassium supplementation, sugar supplementation, vitamin B supplementation, every gastrointestinal medication I could put her on, as well as multiple antibiotics. In the end her gastrointestinal tract was so ravaged by the disease she was not able to be saved in spite of the best medical care she could receive. Because she was a stray, the hospital paid for all her medical care which ended up requiring a trip to Franklin to be seen by specialists. In total her care was over $10k.
Why do I tell you this… because 3 Parvo vaccines only cost $114.
Now let’s talk about Parvo.
Parvo is a virus that infects the crypt cells of the gastrointestinal tract. It causes severe vomiting, bloody diarrhea, inappetance, and profound dehydration.
Parvo patients are best treated in a hospital and the treatment can range from 3-5 days of round the clock care. They need a feeding tube, IV fluids and medications. We are fortunate that we now have an antibody injection that we can give them to help them heal faster, but it costs $440/vial and the larger the dog, the more vials you need.
Patients can also be treated with the Colorado outpatient protocol, but the survival rate is not nearly as high as with in patient care.
How do we keep new puppies safe??? The answer is easy… get them vaccinated!! Do not take your new puppy anywhere! No dog parks, petsmart, play grounds, anywhere!!! Parvovirus lives in the ground for 7-10 years after an infected puppy has been there.
You may have seen or been asked by a veterinary hospital to stay outside while your sick puppy is being tested, this is why. Parvovirus is extremely contagious , and very hard to kill. While a vet hospital is seeing your sick puppy, they are also likely seeing healthy puppies, and dont want to spread this terrible disease uknowingly.
When is a puppy considered fully vaccinated? After 3, sometimes even 4 rounds of the parvo/distemper combo vaccine. Typically this is given around 4 months of age, but they are still not fully protected until 2 weeks after the last round.
I won’t bore you with the immunology that goes behind the vaccine schedule.
The most common Parvo puppy history I get is a puppy that was purchased, and told they are “up to date” by the breeder or pet store. What they mean by this is the puppy has received the required vaccine for their age, not that they are done.
It is crucial that when you get a new puppy they have an exam within the first week so your vet can establish the best vaccine protocol for your unique situation.
I have been told that vaccines are a “money grab” and poison. I hope that people can see that if we wanted to make money from this disease we would not push vaccines the way we do. It is more important to us to keep your puppy healthy, than to make money off of treating this terrible disease that is preventable.
Unfortunately Papaya, and so many other sweet puppies dont get the chance to grow up and live their full lives. Please vaccinate your puppies!
