How to properly treat your dog with parvo at home

Parvovirus is a dangerous, extremely contagious disease that can affect a dog of any age but usually is found in young puppies between 6 and 20 weeks of age. The virus is spread when dogs come in contact with infected feces. There are some ways to help decrease the severity of symptoms at home and prevention techniques to avoid the infection in the first place.

The first signs that your dog is infected with parvovirus include extreme vomiting, lethargy, no desire to eat and bloody, loose stools.

Generally pet owners know that their dog has something serious when the symptoms of parvovirus begin and it’s important to seek medical attention for your pet at this time.

Home treatment for parvovirus is rarely useful and even for dogs who receive excellent care at a hospital the disease is often fatal. The quicker you seek treatment for your dog if you suspect parvovirus, the better chance your dog has of survival.

Dogs clean their body with their tongue. If they have stepped in feces infected with parvovirus, they will clean the feces off with their mouth and get infected with the disease. To prevent your dog from getting infected with parvovirus, make sure you give your dog a bath on a regular basis and clean your dog if they have been playing in a dog park and have a tendency to smell the feces of other dogs that have been in the area.

You should not give your dog anything to eat or drink if they are vomiting from parvovirus, but this quickly turns into an emergency situation except in the mildest of cases. If the vomiting is accompanied by extremely loose and foul smelling stools, call the veterinarian right away.

If your dog stops vomiting and can tolerate food and water then you can continue to treat parvo at home. In fact, if your dog stops vomiting after a few hours it is unlikely that they have been infected by parvovirus at all.

If your dog becomes lethargic and is unable to eat, hospitalization will be required to correct electrolyte imbalances. Get your dog to treatment as soon as possible if they exhibit signs of parvovirus.

If you are able to manage parvo at home for your dog, make sure to give your dog the prescribed medications at the right time. Your veterinarian will prescribe an antibiotic to prevent your dog from becoming septic.

There is no medication that attacks the parvovirus but with good supportive therapy for your dog they might be able to fight the disease. Supportive treatment includes IV fluids for dehydration, antibiotics to fight sepsis and possibly pain medications to reduce inflammation and pain.

If your dog spends the night in a crate, make sure that the bedding inside is kept clean. Scrub all areas that your dog visits throughout the home with strong, anti-bacterial cleaner.

Parvovirus is a hardy virus that many household cleaners can’t get rid of. Diluted bleach is the most effective cleaner to use on the virus and it must remain on an area for 20 minutes before being wiped off. Parvovirus can live for months in your home if it isn’t cleaned up properly.

Young puppies are highly susceptible to parvovirus and they should be isolated from any other dogs in the home. In the first few weeks, puppies still have a strong immune system passed to them by their mother. After the first couple of weeks their immune system loses strength. Puppy vaccines are necessary to boost your dog’s immune system. This will help your dog fight off the parvovirus if they come in contact with it.

Parvovirus is easily spread because it sheds heavily off of the feces of dogs that are infected. The virus then travels on the shoes of humans, on chew toys and on anything the virus has come in contact with. To keep your dogs safe, replace old chew toys and wash bedding as often as possible. Keep your dog clean and keep immunizations up to date.