But don't panic, you may not have to use conventional parvo treatment options. Parvo treatments can include natural options. Just don't try using anything from your kitchen cupboard. This disease is serious!
Every different species has its own parvo virus and it cannot be spread outside of the species, so there is a human parvo virus, a canine parvo virus, a feline parvo virus, and so on. Canine parvo virus (CPV) is the one we hear most about.
The parvo virus works in one of two ways - either through the heart or via the intestines. The intestinal infection is picked up by an animal through oral contact with contaminated feces. In other words, a dog has to come into contaminated feces from another dog. The intestinal dog parvo symptoms happen when the virus attacks rapidly dividing cells in the intestinal crypts, lymph nodes and bone marrow. This allows normally occurring bacteria from the intestine to enter the blood stream make the animal contagious. The virus is shed in the stool for up to three weeks making this disease very contagious to non-vaccinated pets.
The cardio form of this infection is usually seen in puppies that are infected before birth or shortly thereafter. It is noteworthy that the cardiac form of CPV is not as common since the mother passes immunity on to her pups from birth. The parvo virus will then attack the heart in the infected puppy and death will occur shortly afterwards.
Dog parvo symptoms usually present themselves within 3 to 10 days of contact. They include the following: lethargy, vomiting, fever and diarrhea. The diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and secondary infections. The dog will not usually die from the virus but from a secondary infection.
Survival rate depends on how quickly parvo virus is diagnosed and parvo treatment is begun. If it is not caught early enough, the best parvo treatment is an IV through which fluids are pushed to re-hydrate the dog more quickly. In addition to the fluids, antibiotic and anti-nausea shots may be given intramuscularly. With the proper care the prognosis is good, but without it your dog is sentenced to an early death.
There has been some evidence that the human antiviral, Tamiflu, can be effective in treating parvovirus, but there are not studies to substantiate this. So do NOT try it.
A veterinarian will recommend that you get your pet vaccinated against parvo approximately eight weeks after the puppy is weaned. With the prevalence of this virus and its ability to kill, some precaution should be taken to protect your dog. Get your puppy vaccinated - we speak from experience!
To discover the facts about preventing parvo naturally, or if your dog actually has parvo, parvo treatment and ideas on natural treatments for parvo without the need for needles and potentially harmful chemicals, consider treating parvo symptoms naturally.
