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: dog owners don’t seem to understand just how fast-acting and aggressive the Canine Parvo virus is.
One night, you might go to bed, knowing that your dog is happy and healthy, and by morning, when you get up, that same dog is incredibly sick and maybe even near death’s door – and, yes, the title of this article is not just a play on a popular expression, because Parvo has an unmistakable smell, as the diarrhea, which is frequently one of the first symptoms to appear with the latest 2c strain of this virus, is foul and unlike anything else you may have encountered 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.
Although not every dog dies this quickly, it can happen, but the point is, too many people sit around for days on end, 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 might be seriously wrong?
Even if one of our dogs throws up, if they’re healthy (and ours are), then they are ready to eat again just a few minutes later, so a dog that’s off his food for several hours (which is in many cases the first sign you’ll see that your dog has Parvo, assuming that you’re observant, of course) should be a big, red warning sign.
Unfortunately, there is such a lot of bad advice around about Parvo that many dog owners are lulled into a false sense of security.
People feel secure because:
- Their dog has had all of its vaccinations (including boosters). And now for the reality: Parvo vaccines are ineffective against the 2c strain (which is why we are seeing more and more customers with fully-vaccinated adult dogs still getting Parvo and, if they’re not treated, dying), and can even give your dog full-blown Parvo symptoms (particularly if your dog was vaccinated after he was infected, which is about the worst possible thing you can do).
- Their dog is no longer a puppy, and only puppies get Parvo. Sorry, wrong again! It is true that Parvo still infects puppies more than adults, but we have also observed, after dealing with over 850 cases of Parvo, that an increasing number of adult dogs are getting this virus too. If this sounds like a broken record, then we’re not making any apologies, but vaccinations do not 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 often generates a false-negative result, and this particularly applies to the stool sample-based tests that most vets conduct in their clinics nowadays. 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.
- Their dog never goes outside, so it can’t get Parvo. This is another myth, as one of the most common reasons that dogs who are confined to living indoors all of the time get Parvo is because it is their owners (or breeders) who give it to them! Yes, people walk this virus into their house without realizing it (or take it in on their clothes or hands). This is 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, knowing that, rather than harming your dog and making matters worse, it will actually increase his chances of surviving this most devastating of viruses?
This actually highlights another major issue to do with Parvo: many dog owners have never heard of Parvo (until their vet tells them that’s why their dog is sick), which means they don’t know what to look out for. Even more amazing, to us, is that we come across many breeders who know nothing about this virus either. 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 written a free, 100+ page ebook all about Parvo, called Parvo Treatment 101, that you can download to your computer in minutes.
This book contains more or less everything you need to know about Parvo (e.g. the symptoms, including the different types of stool to look out for, treatment options), which makes it a great place to start.
However, if your dog is already sick (i.e. a vet has confirmed that he has the Parvovirus, or he shows any of the classic symptoms, or even if you know he’s been exposed within the past few days), then you don’t have time to read this book now – you need to administer Parvo treatment as soon as possible, 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.
Well, we hope you have found this article useful – it may even save your precious dog’s life – but we have a load more Parvo treatment information available for you, over and above 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 (because contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to take your dog to the vet and spend 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, or our free book, on to them – you just never know who might need it, and there’s nothing better than knowing that you’ve helped to save somebody’s beloved pet from an excruciatingly painful death from probably the most devastating doggie virus there is.
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