Spaying or neutering your dog is an important way to reduce pregnancy and behaviour problems. Learn about the procedure and how to help your dog after the surgery.
What is Parvo and What are Common Parvo Symptoms?
Parvo in puppies is extremely serious. It is a deadly disease that is easily preventable in your puppy. Read on to learn more about what parvo is and how to recognize parvo symptoms in your puppy.
What is parvo?
Parvo is short for parvovirus, which is a virus that first appeared in the 1970s. It is mainly transmitted from dog to dog through infected feces and vomit. Young dogs between the age of six weeks and six months old that are unvaccinated or have not completed their set of vaccinations are particularly at risk of contracting parvo.
Parvo symptoms
It is important for you to be aware of parvo symptoms in your dog. The following are the most common symptoms:
- Bloody diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Dehydration
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
Please note that if your dog is exhibiting any of these symptoms, please call your veterinarian right away.
How to prevent parvo
The good news is that parvo can be easily prevented through the use of a readily available and inexpensive vaccine. These shots are given to your puppy at 6-8 weeks of age and are repeated every 2-3 weeks until your puppy is 4 months old.
Some larger breeds of dogs, such as Dobermans and Rottweilers are more at risk of contracting parvo. In this case, they will need to receive shots until they reach six months of age.
Prevention is key
Treating a puppy with Parvo can be very expensive, costing anywhere from $800 to $3,000. In the end, the treatment is not always successful.
Preventing your puppy from having parvo in the first place, through puppy parvo shots, is very inexpensive in comparison. If your puppy has not been vaccinated yet, don’t wait. Contact your veterinarian and get your puppy vaccinated.
