Canine Parvovirus, commonly known as Parvo, is one of the leading causes for fatalities of puppies in America. Immunization failures can happen for a number of reasons, however, the most common reason is maternally-derived antibodies, neutralizing the vaccination. This is why similar to distemper, puppies are often given a series of doses at separate intervals before the age of 20 weeks to try and ensure the time window is hit for the pup to develop its own antibodies from the vaccine.
Parvo is a virus that attacks the gastrointestinal tract, causing dogs to become lethargic with fevers, vomiting and diarrhea. Parvo does not allow the dog to absorb or hold onto nutrients, while also dehydrating the animal at a rapid pace. Similar to distemper, parvo has no known empirically verified cure; we can only treat the symptoms. Dogs who have parvo and do not receive Vet attention have a 90 percent mortality rate, even with vet care the mortality rate is still 30 percent. With those numbers in mind, early detection of parvo allows for sooner treatment and can decrease the mortality rate to 10 percent.
The process for poor outcomes is tragic for a pup to experience. Parvo is spread commonly through feces, however that does not mean your pup has to directly eat another dog’s feces. It can be spread through food and water bowls, uncleaned surfaces and directly consuming feces with parvo virus. Dogs are most commonly known to catch parvo at dog parks, on walks and in Veterinary offices. It is rare for a parvo outbreak to happen at doggy daycare or boarding since they are required to have specific vaccines to attend.
As mentioned above, the parvo schedule for a pup is typically three doses: starting at eight weeks, given every three weeks till 20 weeks of age. This allows the puppies to overcome maternal immunity and create antibodies for themselves. The next dose is required one year after the 16-20 week dose. This is because the dogs immune system is developed allowing it to create a longer immunity to the virus. Although recent studies show immunity lasting five to seven years due to the fact that parvo is a live virus vaccine, it is still popularly recommended to receive a booster every three years. While we find it important to vaccinate our dogs, asking for a titer test prior to vaccination can help determine what immunity is still present, or if a revaccination is necessary. This helps avoid adverse reactions from over-vaccination and is Wise Woofs general recommendation. * Please note, the source references the titer test as ELISA.
We here at Wise Woofs are constantly looking for new scholarly articles and data, for updates and information about vaccines and their efficiency. In recent years we see the research pointing at longer immunity than once was known. Also the recommendation of a titer test can help get a general understanding on how safe they are from fatal disease. One other reason we highly recommend the titer test is to determine if there were any immunization failures. Spotting if the vaccine failed for a number of reasons, so they can administer another dose. These failures can happen for a number of reasons so make sure to check all the boxes when vaccinating your pet.
