There is one common thread that unites many of the 850+ customers we’ve worked with during the past two years, and this is it: people don’t seem to understand just how fast-acting and aggressive the Parvo virus is.
You can go to bed one night, with a perfectly healthy-looking, happy dog, and wake up in the morning to a very sick one - and, yes, the smell of Parvo is unmistakable, as the diarrhea, which can often be one of the first symptoms you’ll see with the latest 2c strain of this virus, is absolutely disgusting and unlike anything else you may have experienced before.
As an example, one of our customers, in the Pacific Northwest, noticed that their dog was sick with Parvo on a Sunday morning, and later that very same day, in the late afternoon, it had already died.
Even when this virus doesn’t claim your dog’s life quite so quickly, too many people sit around for day after day, watching their dog suffer, and doing nothing about it, because they think they have time.
But nothing could be further from the truth!
If you know dogs at all, then you know that 99.9% or more of them love their food, so if your dog stopped eating, for as little as one day, wouldn’t you be concerned that something could be gravely wrong?
All of our dogs are, thank goodness, healthy (although we do live in the worst state for Parvo), but even on those rare occasions when one of them does throw up, they are ready to eat again just minutes later, so a dog that’s off his food for even a few hours (which is often the first sign you’ll see that your dog has Parvo, assuming that you’re observant, of course) should be a massive, red warning sign.
Unfortunately, there is such a lot of bad advice around about Parvo that a lot of dog owners are understandably but ill-advisedly complacent.
People think they’re secure because:
- Their dog is vaccinated and up-to-date on all of its shots. Here’s the reality: Parvo shots are not effective against the 2c strain (which is why many of our customers are finding that even their adult dogs are being infected, and dying, from this virus, even though they’ve had all of their vaccinations), and can even give your dog full-blown Parvo symptoms (especially if your dog was vaccinated after he was infected, which is about the worst possible thing you can ever do).
- Their dog is no longer a puppy, and only puppies get Parvo. Oops, wrong again! Parvo may still primarily be a puppy illness, but more and more adult dogs are getting it now as well. We’re sort of tired of saying this, but it bears repeating until people get it: vaccinations don’t work like they used to - the 2c strain is simply too virulent and most vaccines on the market today are only effective against the older 2a and 2b strains (and that’s not to mention the long-term issues with all vaccinations, which most vets won’t tell you about).
- They take their dog to the vet’s to have it tested, and the test comes back negative, so they do nothing. Reality check time again: the 2c strain of Parvo is well-known for generating a false-negative result, especially with the in-clinic stool sample tests that are very popular these days. This means that although you are told your dog does not have Parvo, he actually does, and that leads to more days of inaction while your dog is getting sicker and sicker.
- They never take their dog outside, which means it won’t get infected by the Parvo virus. Sorry to burst this balloon as well, but one of the most common reasons why indoor dogs get Parvo is because they get it from their owners / breeders! Yes, you can walk this virus into your house without even knowing it (or transmit it via your hands or clothes). That’s why we always suggest that people (including visitors) change their shoes whenever they go indoors.
So, with so many myths floating around, not to mention bad advice, where can you go to get up-to-date and reliable information that you can use, safe in the knowledge that it will help your dog, and not make matters worse?
Because another problem we see all the time is that people have never even heard of Parvo - until their dog gets it, of course - and, somewhat amazingly, we even come across people who breed dogs commercially who don’t know what Parvo is. It seems to us that this is basic information and knowledge that you must have if you’re going to work in the doggie business!
Well, you’ll be glad to know that we have put together a 100+ page ebook all about Parvo, called Parvo Treatment 101, that you can download to your computer in minutes - and the best part is that it’s 100% free.
This is an excellent place to start, as it contains practically everything you need to know about this virus, including the symptoms to look out for, treatment options, and much more.
If your dog is already sick, however, and by that, we mean that a vet has confirmed that your dog does have Parvo, or he shows one or more of the standard Parvo symptoms, or even if you believe or know that he was exposed to the virus within the last two or three days, then you should delay reading this book, because you need to administer Parvo treatment immediately, because there’s one thing you don’t have with this virus, and that is time. You can always read our free book later, once your dog is stabilized, or better.
We hope that you found this article both interesting and useful, and if it helps you save your dog’s life, even better. However, we do have a load more information about Parvo treatment for you, which is in addition to what’s in our free book.
If nothing else, we hope we’ve inspired you to find out more about this devastating virus, and about the various treatment options (you don’t need to take your dog to the vet and part with anywhere from $500 USD to over $10,000 USD, for a success rate that offers no better odds than tossing a coin, because effective, inexpensive, safe Parvo home remedies are available), so please, if you know anybody with a dog, then do forward this article, and/or our free book, on to them - you just never know when they might might need it, and there’s no better feeling than knowing that you’ve helped to save somebody’s family pet from an excruciatingly painful death from probably the most devastating doggie virus there is.