Parvovirus enteritis in dogs: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment.

Your pet has just gone for a run in the park, enjoying the freedom and playtime with other dogs. But in an instant, your whole world can turn upside down when your pet begins to lose his appetite, vomit and suffer from diarrhea….

Your dog has fallen victim to parvovirus enteritis, a dangerous infectious disease that can be fatal. How to protect your pet from this virus and what to do if the disease has been diagnosed? We will tell you in this article.

What is parvovirus enteritis?

In common parvovirus enteritis has a shorter name – parvovirus. The disease affects mainly the gastrointestinal tract and is characterized by a sudden onset and an acute rapid course. The disease is particularly severe and in young animals, lethality can reach 90%.

Once in the body, the parvovirus pathogen penetrates and multiplies in the intestinal cells. Dogs develop enteritis, in other words – inflammation of the small intestine, which is accompanied by a violation in the digestive tract, as well as general weakness and lethargy of the pet.

Representatives of all breeds are susceptible to parvovirus enteritis. Puppies aged from 1 to 4 months and unvaccinated animals up to 1.5 years old are more prone to the development of a severe form of the disease.

The pathogen is very stable and remains pathogenic for 6-12 months in the environment.

How can a dog get parvovirus enteritis?

A dog can become infected with parvovirus enteritis in several ways:

• The owner can bring viral agents on their shoes and clothing into the home.
• Through contaminated water, food and household items.
• Through direct contact with a sick animal, which at the time of communication has all clinical signs of the disease, and through interaction with virus carriers – healthy animals that are carriers of infection.
• Oral infection is also possible, i.e. through infected secretions of sick animals (feces, vomit masses).

The first two routes of infection are the most common, so even if the dog is kept exclusively at home, it is not 100% protected against viral infections.

Predisposition and risk factors

Parvovirus is widespread among pets, so every dog will encounter the infectious agent during its lifetime, and more than once. There are some factors that predispose to the development of the disease. Among them:

• Large crowding of animals in the same room (exhibitions and other public events), crowding when keeping pets increase the risks of widespread spread of infection;
• Time of year. For example, in the USA, the incidence of parvovirus in animals increased more than 12.5 times during the heat season (July through September). In Russia, outbreaks are more common in winter and fall, but the data may vary depending on the region of residence and, related to it, climatic conditions;
• The amount of antibodies received from the mother together with milk. This fact explains the reason why in the same litter some puppies get sick, others remain healthy and others die.

Symptoms

The first clinical signs of parvovirus enteritis in the dog appear at the end of the incubation period – 7-10 days after the penetration of the virus into the animal’s body, but there is a lightning course of the disease.

Parvovirus enteritis in dogs is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• Emaciation, anorexia;
• Refusal of food;
• Apathy;
• Exhausting vomiting and stinky diarrhea, often with blood;
• Elevation of body temperature to 39-40 degrees;
• Severe pain in the abdominal area.

Parvovirus enteritis in puppies

Parvovirus infection is most often diagnosed in puppies between 2 and 12 months of age. At 2-4 months of age, the disease is most difficult to treat.

The first parvovirus enteritis vaccination may be administered to dogs at 6 weeks of age if there is an increased risk of infection. The standard vaccination regimen is to vaccinate at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age with comprehensive vaccines and then at six months to one year of age and then, in our country, annual revaccination as an adult. Before immunization, puppies are literally open to all kinds of infections: the mother’s colostrum fed to the litter strengthens the natural protective barriers of the animal’s immune system, but this is not enough to fight parvovirus.

Diagnosis

The probability of death in parvovirus infection is high, which is why a pet with the slightest suspicion and characteristic signs of the disease should be shown to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Diagnosis in parvovirus enteritis is made by a veterinarian comprehensively, including on the basis of the obtained tests. For the identification of the virus use:

• PCR test for parvovirus – allows you to determine the presence of the direct infectious agent by DNA fragments;
• Clinical blood analysis – helps to make a general picture of the patient’s health, assess the state of the hematopoietic system;
• ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) – detects the presence of antibodies to the pathogen;
• ICA (immunochromatographic analysis) – similar to ELISA rapid test, differs in lower accuracy, but faster results: in 10-15 minutes after taking the analysis, the veterinarian receives the results of the study and based on them makes a preliminary treatment plan.

For differential diagnosis, when it is necessary to exclude similar diseases in clinical picture (alimentary and parasitic gastroenteritis), additional studies may be required:

• Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity;
• X-ray;
• Gastroscopy and others.

Treatment

There is currently no specific treatment for parvovirus enteritis. Unfortunately, immunomodulators – biologically active substances that help to strengthen the immune system of animals – as well as antiviral serums have not been shown to be effective in controlled trials.

Drug therapy

To stabilize the condition and help the body to fight the pathogen, symptomatic treatment is used:

• Infusion therapy – normalizes the water and salt balance in the body and restores the disturbed metabolism;
• Antiemetic and anti-diarrheal drugs;
• Antimicrobials – to destroy secondary infection;
• Hemotransfusion – required with significant changes in the hematopoietic system.

Pay attention! Medicines used for the treatment of parvovirus can be supplemented and selected individually in each individual case, depending on the clinical picture and the general state of health of the patient. For this reason, it is not recommended to self-medicate and give medications to the animal without a veterinarian’s prescription.

Diet therapy

There used to be a belief that a starvation diet should be followed for the first 24-36 hours after the diagnosis was confirmed. However, modern research suggests that starvation is unnecessary and furthermore may worsen the course of the disease.

After the vomiting stops, the animal is transferred to a light diet, so as not to give unnecessary strain on the digestive tract and intestines. Dogs on the industrial type of food is selected easily digestible food gastrointestinal, pets who eat home-cooked food, veterinary nutritionist makes an individual diet plan with allowed products.

Treatment at home

There are several myths about how to treat dogs for parvovirus infection. For example, you may hear stories about how the animal is treated with enemas for enteritis and then given vodka and eggs or herbal decoctions. However, these and other folk methods of treatment have no proven effectiveness, and alcohol will only aggravate the situation. In addition, trying to cope with the disease on our own, we lose precious time, and the pet, without waiting for qualified help, may die.

Prognosis

Survival rate and recovery rate from the infection depends on the age of the sick animal, the availability of the vaccine, and the immunity of the animal.

The probability of death in puppies and unvaccinated dogs is up to 50-90%, while in vaccinated adults this figure drops to 5-10%.

It is possible to speak more accurately about the chances of recovery in a few days after the first symptoms of parvovirus. If the condition of the pet remains stable, sharp serious deterioration of health is not noted, it means that the immune system of the animal is actively fighting the infection, producing antibodies to neutralize the virus. But, of course, in addition to external signs, it is necessary to focus on the indicators of blood tests.

In case of a mild course and strong immunity, the first noticeable improvements can be seen on the 2nd-4th day after seeking medical help, in case of a more severe course – in 4-7 days after the start of medication.

Prevention

Vaccination cannot fully protect the animal from the pathogenic virus, but it will help the animal to survive the disease more easily in case of infection. The first vaccine is given to the puppy at 6-8 weeks of age, and then repeated every 4 weeks until the puppy reaches 4 months of age. After completion of the primary vaccination course, the dog should be vaccinated between 6-12 months of age and then, according to the rules adopted in the Russian Federation, once a year.

Additional recommendations should also be followed to minimize the risks of the disease:

• Do not allow your pet to come into contact with stray dogs.
• Do not allow your dog to coprophagia (eating feces).

If you notice vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, or other alarming symptoms in your pet, contact a veterinary clinic.

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