Parvovirus is an unfortunately common disease in puppies, and it can often be life-threatening. While it is a potentially fatal disease, dogs treated by a veterinarian have a survival rate of 68 to 92 percent, and most dogs who survive the first three to four days can recover completely. This article explains what parvo is and what to do after your dog survives parvo.
What to do after your dog survives parvo?
After your dog survives parvo, you should continue to give prescribed meds, bathe, feed the right diet, exercise, disinfect their environment, and vaccinate them.
Medications
Because your dog may be on medication prescribed by the vet, you must continue to administer it until the course of medication is completed. When giving your dog medication, you must follow your veterinarian’s instructions to ensure that you are not giving too much or too little.
Bathing
So long as the water is not cold, your dog can be bathed at any time. Bathing your dog is beneficial during the healing process because it reduces the amount of virus left on its fur and thus helps reduce contagion.
Diet
Because your dog is still recovering, you should limit your dog’s meals, as overeating can cause diarrhea or vomiting. Even if your dog appears hungry, give it smaller meals separated by at least an hour or two. It is also critical not to feed your dog table scraps. You should follow your veterinarian’s diet recommendations, mainly because your dog needs something easily digestible to continue recovery.
Your vet might recommend an anti-inflammatory diet.
Exercise
If you notice your dog becoming more active, you can play with it at home to make sure it still gets its exercise. It is critical that you limit trips to the park, training facilities, etc. While your dog is now immune to the parvovirus, there are still many infectious diseases that could attack it, especially while its immune system is still healing.
Instead, try to play with your dog in your backyard or at home, and limit your contact with other dogs and time spent in public places. If you have other dogs, keep them apart for a while.
Environment
Because parvo is such an infectious disease, you must disinfect your home as soon as you discover your dog is infected. To prevent the virus from spreading, sanitize your entire house and clean all of your dog’s bedding, bowls, and toys.
If you suspect the source is your dog’s accessories, it may be better to throw them away rather than risk having a virus in your home. If you have a yard, remove all visible feces and flush the year with water and a safe disinfectant before allowing it to dry. Allowing your dog outside during the healing process, even after cleaning, is not recommended, as this can still be a source of parvo, as yards can be adequately cleaned.
Vaccines
Aside from the parvo vaccine, you should ask your veterinarian what other vaccines your dog may require to protect itself from any other infectious diseases to which it may be exposed. Vaccines save lives, and you must keep your dog’s vaccines up to date to ensure that they are always protected.
Should your dog get the parvo vaccine after they recover from parvo?
A dog that survives parvo will likely have a lot of immunity against parvo. However, this immunity might only last for a couple years, so it is best to get them the parvo vaccine after they have completely recovered from the virus.
What is parvo in dogs?
Parvovirus is a highly contagious disease caused by the canine parvovirus. It spreads through direct contact or indirect contact with a contaminated feces. It is classified as a stomach and small intestine disease because it destroys cells, disrupts the gut barrier, and impairs absorption.
Parvo can also affect the bone marrow and lymphopoietic tissues and the heart in some cases. Bloody diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, fever, weight loss, fever, anorexia, depression, dehydration, and weakness are all symptoms of parvo. There is no cure for parvo, but if you notice these symptoms in your dog, you should have a vet run tests and ensure your dog is treated and cared for.
If your vet identifies that your dog has parvo, they will walk you through the proper treatment steps for your dog’s case and any precautionary measures you should take for any other dogs in your household.
How long is parvo recovery period?
Once your dog has fully recovered, it should be able to resume its everyday life. Depending on your veterinarian’s recommendations, a parvo infection recovery period will typically last 1-2 weeks. Parvovirus is a preventable disease that can be avoided in puppies and adults through vaccinations.
You should not let your dog interact with other dogs until they have received all of the parvo vaccines. You should also exercise caution when taking your dog to a park, puppy classes, daycare facilities, and similar locations, as these can all be potential sources of parvo.
Now that you know what to do if your dog survives parvo, it is your responsibility to keep your pet safe and well-cared for at all times. While this may be a difficult time for you, remember that there is much you can do to comfort your dog and let it know you are there to care for it. Best wishes on your journey!
