The Parvo (dun dun DDUUUUNNNNNN)

When a puppy gets sick, it's usually vomiting and diarrhea.  One of the most prolific diseases in dogs is the Parvo virus.  It is ubiquitous.  You probably have some in your hair RIGHT NOW. No....don't.....don't go take a shower.  come back here.  it's ok.  Human Parvo Virus is different.  All mammals have a Parvo Virus.  And none of them have yet been able to cross species.  ****In humans, Parvo Virus is also known as Fifths Disease, and most children get it in the grammar school years.  It is a mild fever for a few days and then turns into a cheek rash.  Basically looks like the kid has had too much sun.....or too many visits from a certain aunt that likes to pinch cheeks a little too much.  As an adult, I had Parvo Virus and it was awful.  As an adult, you can contract the disease and go one of two routes.....asymptomatic (no signs or symptoms of the disease) or MAJOR WHOLE BODY PAIN FOR WEEKS.  My body decided to go the intense pain route and I was unaware of why I hurt so badly until my children showed signs of Fifths Disease and I researched it.  Turns out I was in such intense chronic pain that I fractured three teeth during my sleep...and when I went to the hospital because I was afraid I had something wrong with me, they took chest x-rays and sent me home without pain medicine because I didn't have pneumonia.  That's right.  Makes no sense.  In fact, the doctor didn't even touch me.  A veterinarian would never be so awful to a patient....ah, well.  I love my vets.****

Canine Parvo Virus is classically a gastrointestinal disease.  It is shed in the diarrhea and in order for a puppy to contract the disease, the virus has to be ingested.  Which sounds gross, but think of all the things a puppy licks and chews and bites in the course of a day.  You've seen those 20/20 sort of news shows that swab random things for E. coli bacteria?  Yeah.  The world is gross. (cue the Monk theme song here...)  So puppies are bound to be ingesting all sorts of grossness out there in the world, and one particularly nasty bug is Parvo.

So the bug goes into their poor little mouths, then tummies, and into the intestines.  It begins the attack via lymph nodes, where it heads to the bone marrow and starts killing immune cells.  This allows the virus to invade the rapidly dividing cells in the intestines and replicate, replicate, replicate. The virus basically destroys the little fingery foldy bits of your intestine where nutrients are absorbed.  This makes is nearly impossible for the little pup to digest any food that it is able to choke down, presuming the puppy is not vomiting.  Blood is frequently seen in the stool, and because there is intestinal bleeding, bacteria is more likely to jump into the blood stream and cause secondary infections.  Which sucks even MORE because the virus is also in the bone marrow destroying white blood cells AND in the heart tissue, replicating.  So this tiny ball of fur you see before you is positively miserable.

Basically, Parvo is kind of a big old Fuck You to the poor puppy's immune system.  And because it happens a short time after ingestion, and puppies are so small and become dehydrated VERY quickly, you must act fast.  MUST.  Even if it is the middle of the night.  Because let's be honest.  You have NO IDEA how healthy your dog's immune system is - both before the virus invaded or now that it has.  You have NO IDEA how dehydrated your pup was before it all started.  Usually this disease begins to show itself with a decrease in eating and drinking.  Usually so subtle you won't notice it till your pup is very ill.  I have seen seemingly resilient puppies die within hours of showing signs of the disease.  I have also seen, in one of my personal dogs, a case of only a little vomiting and inappetence for a couple of days.

If you think your puppy has Parvo, please please PLEASE call the vet clinic in advance and let them know you have a puppy with diarrhea that is feeling punky.  This will tell any receptionist worth her salt that you have a puppy that may be contagious to other dogs.  Also it should make the receptionist realize that no, you cannot wait till next Thursday to see the vet.  Parvo can get very bad very quickly.  Get in as soon as you can.  Preferably that day.  If not, be ready to go to the emergency vet later on.  Then do the following:

1. Bring a friend to open doors for you, and try hard not to bring children (they touch EVERYTHING and are already covered in the virus if they've touched the dog).
2. Have the friend go into the vet first and let them know you are there.  This gives them time to get a room set up for you without you sitting in the lobby, possibly infecting every other surface of the place with your Parvo-encrusted presence.
3. Wrap the pup in a clean towel or blanket.  This contains the mess and hopefully the virus-enhanced poopage
4. When the room is ready, have your friend open doors for you and walk STRAIGHT INTO THE ROOM and have a seat
5. Stay calm.  Vets and staff see Parvo a lot.  Way more than you think.  
6. Don't be afraid to ask questions. THERE ARE NO STUPID QUESTIONS (just very inquisitive idiots...HAHAHA.  but seriously.  ask questions.)

The veterinarian will do a full physical examination, and the technician will obtain vital signs and ask a bunch of questions.  The vet will recommend blood work (to check the white blood cell count, which is the immune cells the virus destroys in the bone marrow, and assess level of dehydration), a Parvo test (looks like a dry q-tip that the tech puts up the booty), x-rays (to see if your puppy simply ate something bad, like a toy or rock, and it is stuck.  also to see if the puppy's intestines have folded themselves inside themselves, which can be life threatening and is caused by diarrhea) and hospitalization.  

When it comes to veterinary medicine, there IS NO A LA CARTE.  You can't look at an estimate and pick and choose what you want.  In my 13 years, I have had WAY too many people say 'do I really NEED this blood work?  What if I want the IV fluids but not the catheter? Do I have to pay for antibiotics?'  The vet would not recommend something that is frivolous.  A vet recommends everything that will give us a clue as to your pet's health. 

Items your vet may recommend:
1. blood tests - initial, then every 12-24 hours to check to be sure the treatments are helping.  if they aren't helping, the vet needs to change the plan.
2. IV fluids - yes, you have to pay for the catheter.  how else will we get those slippery sterile fluids into your poor puppy?
3. Hospitalization - have to stay in hospital if you have an IV....don't care if you're a people nurse or farmer and 'very good' with needles and catheters.  
 4. Antibiotics - remember how those bacteria from the intestines are sneaking into the blood stream?  Can't kill those bad boys with fire, so you need these.
5. Antivirals (like Tamiflu) - if the vet has it, and it's within 24-48 hours of showing initial signs of the virus, this can help a lot.  It basically stops the replication of the virus so that your dog can start feeling better faster.
6. Pain medicine - a virus that eats away your intestines?  That can't possibly be painful!  OH WAIT.  YES IT IS.
 7. IV fluid additives - like potassium, which is being depleted in your dog with every time s/he has a diarrhea blowout
8. Anti-nausea medication - to prevent vomiting and bring back that appetite
9. Plasma Transfusion - in more severe cases, this is a good idea.  Plasma is made up of proteins, and constitutes about half of your blood volume.  Plasma is why you have a blood pressure and how you can stay hydrated.  When your intestines are leaking blood, and there's inflammation everywhere in the GI tract, you're losing proteins.  A lot.  Which makes it very hard to remain alive.  
10. Feeding tube (usually through the nose) - even though the GI tract is being ravaged and obliterated by the virus, allowing a trickle feeding of a high calorie and easy to digest diet is beneficial.  Lots of studies have been done, and as long as the puppy isn't vomiting, a feeding tube with trickle feeding is a fantastic plan.

So let's say your puppy got through the Parvo Virus and you get to bring your puppy home.  You're in the clear, right?  NO.  Your house....it is COVERED with the gross.  So is your yard.  But a few treatments with a spray bottle and a 3% bleach solution will clear that right up.  A 3% solution is strong enough to kill the virus, and not so strong it will bleach out your carpets and floors and yard.

Your pup will be shedding the virus in it's poop for a minimum of 6 weeks afterward, as well.  So DO NOT go to dog parks, the pet store, or any other public place.  This was an ordeal for you, and you don't want to be the reason other people have to go through it, too.  Or do you?  If so, you're a jerk.  Someone had to say it.  So I did.  I knew a veterinary assistant once who took her puppy to the dog park right after a serious bout of Parvo.  I was furious.  And I told her so.  She didn't care.  UGH.  Some people, right?

Anyway, an excellent website for specific details is Cornell (that's where I got one of the pictures), but you can also just, ya know, stick with me on this.  I don't mind.  I like the company.

If you ever have any questions about anything at all, please feel free to talk to your veterinarian.  I am happy to talk to people - I love it - but I am NOT a veterinarian, and I do not have a relationship with you.  Anything I say cannot be taken as the Ultimate Truth and Facts of This World, because medicine is changing rapidly.  Different vets do different things.  All of this is in my experience and entirely my own opinion.  I am offering up information - what you do with it is up to you.  I love you all.