Parvo

[MJDCMAKI]

Originally Posted by palehorse

One thing comes to mind now that I think about it. Did you follow up with the booster shots? It's easy to forget, but they are important. Just a thought...

Yes the dog with parvo has had all his boosters! That is why this is so hard for us to figure out why she still got it. But every Veterinarian we have called for imput said that just because they have had all their shots it don't mean they wil not get it but should not get it. Plus they have all said there is a false positive test and a negative one too. So it is hard for us to accept that she has this parvo too! I don't know but hopefully someone can tell us how to really clean this out of our home as it is supposed to live in the enviroment for 7 years. We have been told both that extreme temps and extreme cold can kill it then we are told that it can't.

[palehorse]

Originally Posted by MJDCMAKI

hopefully someone can tell us how to really clean this out of our home as it is supposed to live in the enviroment for 7 years. We have been told both that extreme temps and extreme cold can kill it then we are told that it can't.

There *IS* one way to kill it though, and that is a Clorox solution diluted one part to 30 parts water (4 oz Clorox in 1 gallon of water) this has been found to be effective in disinfecting inanimate objects such as clothing, floors, kennels, etc.

What I posted you earlier, quoted above, is a good start. I have heard it other places too, I believe this will sanitize things. Just be carefull with the bleach, you can ruin lots of things with it...

[bitterrootbullies]

Originally Posted by MJDCMAKI

Or if anyone can point me in the right direction on how to get this virius out of your home i would appreciate it. Seems once you have this it is almost impossible to get rid of it in your living enviroment (home) Even the Veterinarian recommendations seems to deem impossible to get rid of it.

It is extremely difficult to get rid of the parvo virus from the environment. Bleach will work on solid surfaces like concrete, but carpets, lawns, dirt etc I don't know of anything that will completely get rid of the virus. It also remains viable for a very long time. (this is the main reason I don't like dog parks!)
Make sure all your pets are up to date on their vaccines and be careful bringing in any young puppies and kittens who are not completely vaccinated.
amanda samantha sydney murphy foster and kipling

[bitterrootbullies]

Originally Posted by MJDCMAKI

Yes the dog with parvo has had all his boosters! That is why this is so hard for us to figure out why she still got it. But every Veterinarian we have called for imput said that just because they have had all their shots it don't mean they wil not get it but should not get it. Plus they have all said there is a false positive test and a negative one too. So it is hard for us to accept that she has this parvo too! I don't know but hopefully someone can tell us how to really clean this out of our home as it is supposed to live in the enviroment for 7 years. We have been told both that extreme temps and extreme cold can kill it then we are told that it can't.

A couple questions: I assume the 6month old got it first then the 12 week old?
If so(or even if it was the other way around) did the 6 month old show symptoms or did you simply have a positive test?

I am not a Veterinarian, but I am a research scientist that studies viruses. I DO NOT have personal experience with parvo, but the following is generally true for all viruses.

A couple points about viruses and vaccines. Vaccines are very good at protecting animals/people against virus infection. However there are always some individuals that are not completely protected even after vaccination. This is why some people will still get the flu even if they get the vaccine. Most will be protected but not all. If the 6 month old had ALL the boosters then he should not have gotten the disease. However he may still have a positive test. If he did in fact show symptoms he may simply be one of the few that did not respond well to the vaccine and therefore was not completely protected.
The 12 week old probably has not had all the boosters yet and therefore is still susceptible to the virus. Plus the shots are not immediately effective, it takes a week or so for the immune system to respond to the vaccine and produce the antibodies necessary for protecting against the virus.

The basic way a vaccine works is that it is a part of the virus that causes the immune system to produce antibodies against that virus. This does not prevent the actual virus from infecting the dog, but as soon as the virus enters the body, the immune system already has antibodies ready and can fight and kill the virus before it causes the disease. If the dog does not respond to the vaccine properly or has not had enough time to respond to the vaccine, it is still susceptible to the disease.

It is possible that the Veterinarian got a bad/ineffective lot of vaccine, but normally, vaccines undergo rigorous testing for efficency before they are released. There are of course exceptions/mistakes, but its not common.

One last thought, once a dog recovers from parvo, it cannot catch the same virus again, so they won't pass it back and forth. However, there are different strains of parvo as well, and not all of them are cross protective meaning just because a dog is immune to one strain doesn't mean it will be protected against a different strain.

As far as getting rid of the virus in the environment, there is no good way to do this. On solid surfaces, the bleach solution that was recommended is good, but this won't work on lawns, carpets etc. parvo can last in the environment for a really long time. Extreme heat can kill the virus, but the temperatures needed are way more than you could ever get. Only sterilizing temps (120F or greater) will actually kill the virus. Extreme cold won't actually kill the virus very effectively, plus the extreme cold temps are also way more than you could provide (approx. -112F )

If your dogs survive the infection, they should be unable to get it again, but new dogs coming into the environment can.

Hope that helps.
amanda samantha sydney murphy foster and kipling

[mojosmama]

many dogs can still get diseases even with their shots and boosters.....viruses are constanlty evolving in order to survive. Both our dogs got a form of Bordatella after having their vaccines....lesson learned? We don't go to the doggie park anymore!

[MJDCMAKI]

Originally Posted by bitterrootbullies

A couple questions: I assume the 6month old got it first then the 12 week old?
If so(or even if it was the other way around) did the 6 month old show symptoms or did you simply have a positive test?

I am not a Veterinarian, but I am a research scientist that studies viruses. I DO NOT have personal experience with parvo, but the following is generally true for all viruses.

A couple points about viruses and vaccines. Vaccines are very good at protecting animals/people against virus infection. However there are always some individuals that are not completely protected even after vaccination. This is why some people will still get the flu even if they get the vaccine. Most will be protected but not all. If the 6 month old had ALL the boosters then he should not have gotten the disease. However he may still have a positive test. If he did in fact show symptoms he may simply be one of the few that did not respond well to the vaccine and therefore was not completely protected.
The 12 week old probably has not had all the boosters yet and therefore is still susceptible to the virus. Plus the shots are not immediately effective, it takes a week or so for the immune system to respond to the vaccine and produce the antibodies necessary for protecting against the virus.

The basic way a vaccine works is that it is a part of the virus that causes the immune system to produce antibodies against that virus. This does not prevent the actual virus from infecting the dog, but as soon as the virus enters the body, the immune system already has antibodies ready and can fight and kill the virus before it causes the disease. If the dog does not respond to the vaccine properly or has not had enough time to respond to the vaccine, it is still susceptible to the disease.

It is possible that the Veterinarian got a bad/ineffective lot of vaccine, but normally, vaccines undergo rigorous testing for efficency before they are released. There are of course exceptions/mistakes, but its not common.

One last thought, once a dog recovers from parvo, it cannot catch the same virus again, so they won't pass it back and forth. However, there are different strains of parvo as well, and not all of them are cross protective meaning just because a dog is immune to one strain doesn't mean it will be protected against a different strain.

As far as getting rid of the virus in the environment, there is no good way to do this. On solid surfaces, the bleach solution that was recommended is good, but this won't work on lawns, carpets etc. parvo can last in the environment for a really long time. Extreme heat can kill the virus, but the temperatures needed are way more than you could ever get. Only sterilizing temps (120F or greater) will actually kill the virus. Extreme cold won't actually kill the virus very effectively, plus the extreme cold temps are also way more than you could provide (approx. -112F )

If your dogs survive the infection, they should be unable to get it again, but new dogs coming into the environment can.

Hope that helps.
amanda samantha sydney murphy foster and kipling

The 12 week old puppy had it 1st. Then the 12 week old got it. The 6 month old showed sign of vomitting 1st and seemed mopey and then my husband took her to the Veterinarian and they ran a test on her and it came out positive.

[MJDCMAKI]

In speaking to our Veterinarian this is what he feels happened with the 2 dogs. After having the one dog for awhile we decided to buy another one. The breeder that had the litter of puppies took them into his Veterinarian for their 1st set of shots. The same time he had his puppies there a lady with 2 rottweiler puppies had them in cause they were sick with parvo. The breeder with his litter touched and petted the parvo puppies. Therefore he now himself come in contact with this virus and was carrying it on his hands and clothes. He took his puppies home not realizing what he had done. We brought the 12 week old puppy home on Sunday January 29th. We let the 2 dogs see each other. The older dog (1 time as understandable as all dogs do) (sniffed the butt of the little male puppy) We weighed the puppy and he was 22.7 lbs. On January 30th we noticed the puppy was mopey and when ever he ate or drank anything he would vomit and have diarreha. He also had runny eyes and drooling excesivley. This was by evening that day. mThe next morning my husband took him to the Veterinarian and he tested positive for parvo. He was weighed at the vets office and just over night he lost 5 lbs. He reamined at the vets for about 5 days and returned home. About 7 days later the older dog was less energetic (abnormal for her) and would vomit about 1/2 hour after eatting or drinking. Which of course was in the evening again. The next morning my husband took her to the Veterinarian and she too tested positive. So our Veterinarian explained to us that the puppy got the parvo virus from the breeder being at the vets office and handeling the parvo puppies then handeling his, transfered it to his puppies. Then with the one time the big dog sniffed the butt of our new puppy the virus was trasnferred to her and was in incabation for the 7 days then that is when she got sick. This parvo can be shed by a dog for up to 2 to 3 weeks once they are better and they need to stay seperated from any other dog. Even with the shots it is unlikley that her vaccinations failed cause there was a defect but it is more like the human and the flu shot. Just because you get a flu sho it does not mean you will not get the flu. You just won't get it as bad. The puppy had become exposed to this virus within minutes of receiving his 1st shots so he got the parvo much worse then the older dog. The breeder himself lost 2 other of his puppies to this parvo. Both of ours are doing fine now since they have been home but for up to 3 weeks now we have to still be careful and clean up any doo doo and bleach, bleach, bleach.

[TaylorMae]

Originally Posted by MJDCMAKI

Hi i am new here and in desperate need of any info on parvo or if someone has had experience with it. How do you kill this virus in your home? I also have tons of questions!

a friend of mine just went thru this with a litter of pups. It was so sad. From what I was told, parvo is carried by the hair of the animals and in the fecal matter. So they Veterinarian said you have to bleach your floors and burn your yard. And that is for the protection of other animals. If your dog has or had parvo then he/she has to go thru the treatment, which I am sure you already know about. Then after the treatment they have a very strong immune system built up for this , again, this is all what I have heard secondary. Also, if pets are up to date on there shots and over a year old, they should not be affected by the parvo matter. good luck, that stuff is awful.

[MJDCMAKI]

Originally Posted by TaylorMae

a friend of mine just went thru this with a litter of pups. It was so sad. From what I was told, parvo is carried by the hair of the animals and in the fecal matter. So they Veterinarian said you have to bleach your floors and burn your yard. And that is for the protection of other animals. If your dog has or had parvo then he/she has to go thru the treatment, which I am sure you already know about. Then after the treatment they have a very strong immune system built up for this , again, this is all what I have heard secondary. Also, if pets are up to date on there shots and over a year old, they should not be affected by the parvo matter. good luck, that stuff is awful.

Yes this parvo is awful!!!! Both dogs are fine now and are doing wonderful.

[palehorse]

Originally Posted by MJDCMAKI

Yes this parvo is awful!!!! Both dogs are fine now and are doing wonderful.

I am so glad to hear both dogs are doing fine! Great! (group hug) it's always a cause for celebration when we can beat a strong illness!