8/27/2007 9:49:00 PM Health alert: Parvo outbreak worries community
The Daily Courier/Les Stukenberg
Peanut, who was diagnosed with parvo, looks out of his isolation kennel at the Chino Valley Animal Hospital on Monday afternoon. Dr. DaLee Caryl said she had been at four other clinics on Monday and each had between six and eight cases of animals with parvo, which according to her is abnormally high.
PRESCOTT - Animal hospitals throughout the area are treating more dogs suffering from the Parvo virus.
Chino Valley Animal Hospital Administrator Dr. DaLee Caryl is concerned about what she calls a Parvo "outbreak bordering on epidemic."
"We are seeing a greater number of cases than ever before. We currently have seven patients in quarantine and four more patients are being treated at home," Caryl said. "The reason for such concern is not just the quantity of cases. The cases seem more virulent; more animals are dying."
Animal hospital officials throughout the area say pet owners not vaccinating their dogs is the No. 1 reason the animals get Parvo.
"Parvo is transmitted by feces. Feces are on the ground. The Parvo virus can live up to two years in the ground," Caryl said. "People are not vaccinating their dogs properly. They try to save money by vaccinating their animals themselves, however, it can cost $500 to $1,000 to treat a dog for Parvo."
She said young dogs and puppies typically contract Parvo.
"Just because a dog has had the Parvo virus does not mean it is immune. The dog still needs to be vaccinated," she said.
Caryl said she is concerned because the outbreak is happening throughout the area.
"If it was just in Chino Valley, that would be one thing. However, it's everywhere - in Chino, Prescott and Prescott Valley. As with any disease, it affects the young, the immune deficient and older dogs," she said.
Prescott Animal Hospital officials say Parvo is a seasonal disease and the hospital typically sees an increase in cases this time of year.
One reason for the increase in cases, officials say, is that people take their pets out more often during the summer.
"There are a lot of outside activities and people bring their animals. This exposes them to Parvo," Caryl said.
Parvo has various symptoms and may vary from dog to dog. Caryl said people should take their dogs to a veterinarian immediately if it has any of these symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or no energy, and no interest in food.
The doctor said vaccinations should include either a Distemper/Parvo combination or a Parvo vaccine. Vaccines will not help sick dogs.
Granite Mountain Vet Hospital has two dogs in quarantine. Officials say they have seen more Parvo cases in the past few weeks.
Kachina Animal Hospital currently has no animals in quarantine. However, officials said they quarantined three to five dogs during the past few weeks.
Animals in quarantine remain caged, receive IV fluids and strong antibiotics. Dehydration is the leading cause of death for dogs suffering from Parvo. It is impossible to replace the fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhea.
A dog with a moderate case of Parvo could recover in two to three days. However, recovery depends on the size and weight of the animal, as well as the strength of the infection.
Caryl said dog owners who cannot afford a three- to five-day hospital stay often have vets euthanize their dogs.
Parvo is a highly contagious disease.
Caryl's recommenda-tion is to adhere to a vaccination schedule and "keep your dogs at home. People should use common sense. They should err on the side of caution and properly vaccinate their dogs. If they have any questions they should contact their vet."
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, September 13, 2007
Article comment by:
Barb
As the director of an animal shelter, I can attest to how very sad it is to see an otherwise healthy pup or young dog become so horribly sick and die such a painful death happens to dogs that get Parvo. People who want to take the risk of not vaccinating their dogs against this awful disease because they worry about the ill-effects of the vaccines are being very, very "penny wise, but pound foolish" in my opinion.
This article fails to mention that Parvo is thought to be a mutation of the vaccine for panleukopenia. That's right, we created parvo in our labs! Through vaccination with mocified live viruses, the dogs continue to shedactive virus, thereby spreading itthrough the invironment while remaining asymptomatic.
Also, vaccines don't need to be administered by a veterinarian. There is no difference in a vaccine administered by a vet, a vet assistant, or an owner. As is typical, the vets are only concerned with making money from over-vaccination. My friend's dog had parvo and she was fully vaccinated by vets within the prior months. Her unvaccianted dogs were unaffected.
There are no pat answers for these disease outbreaks. To state that it is due to lack of vaccination is just plain wrong.
Posted: Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Article comment by:
Jen
To the vet and all those who feel so strongly about vaccines, there is a lot of material about the problems associated with vaccines and many, many vets who are turning to holistic methods for treating animals because multiple vaccines don't work. Many just don't work and vaccines every year break down the immune system wreaking havoc on the animal's bodies. Ever wonder why we're not vaccinated year after year? Think about it.
After my pup's single parvo (I thought giving minimal vaccines was better), he spent the night screaming (literally) and 2 months later came down with heart disease. A beautiful pup destroyed, but who is somehow still alive thanks to my holistic vet. The regular vets pronounced him dead the day they did the ultrasound. Did I vaccinate my next pup? NO!!! Is he still alive? YES!! And besides that he's healthy. And yes he's exposed to dogs at parks and shows on a regular basis.
Make nutrition and supporting their immune systems your number one priority and you should have few problems. Don't feed Science Diet that the vet's push. Read the labels. It and most store bought food is garbage.
Pet owners and vets who still push vaccinations need to educate themselves and make their pet's health a priority as opposed to their pocket books (vets) and just believing the status quo and following like sheep (owners).
Posted: Monday, September 10, 2007
Article comment by:
N. Godwin
I have to disagree on two points that were made about Parvo.
I have had extensive experience with parvo when it first came on the scene in the 1970s when there was no vacine for it. It is my experience that it does NOT live in the ground for two years, only about two months after the animal or animals are over it. Also once the dog lives through it, it IS IMUNE for life.
Posted: Sunday, September 09, 2007
Article comment by:
Nancy
A shame that there is so much hype about titers and not vaccinating. We are not seeing the results of this thinking.
Posted: Sunday, September 09, 2007
Article comment by:
Butch
Parvo is a sad disease to see any dog acquire. I find it very sad indeed to find people who want to take shots at the veterinary profession by claiming that recommendations made by veterinarians are just to "make another house payment'. Economics are a constant consideration for those of us that practice veterinary medicine, but our primary concern should always be the health and well being of our patient.
It is THOUGHT that a parvo recovered animal wil be immune for life. But that is a hypothesis with good support but no challenge studies given after the dog would be 10 years old with an illenss from parvo at 8 weeks. Support is strong but not 100%.
People that vaccinate their own pets with quality vaccine are not the problem. The question of vaccine being maintained in proper refrigeration. Most veterinarians recieve their vaccines straight from the manufacturer in styrofoam chilled packaging. If it arrives "hot" then it is a simple matter to have it reshipped/replaced byt the manufacturer and the hot shipment discarded. That quality assurance is part of what the veterinarian can deliver to dog owners.
Finally, some mild cases of parvo may be able to be treated successfully at home, however, if one wants the best chance of survival for their pet, then the veterinary hospital is the place to be.
Posted: Sunday, September 09, 2007
Article comment by:
Barry
Part of the reason that Parvo remains a problem is that so many more people are A) Not vaccinating their pets B) are taking these unprotected pets to where there are and have been other unprotected and potential carriers of the virus, C) because they do not do enough to sanitize their clothing etc. after handling their sick dog if they are treating at home (an example is you have a dog with parvo you are treating at home and then realize you have to be somewhere and get in your car and run your errand without changing you clothes) after all not every time you handle the sick or recovering pet do you get dirty with feces but you have still picked up massive amounts of the virus on your person and clothing. So you get the little one from day care and when you pick them up in your arms you have transferred a viral load to them. Then you get home and the neighbor comes over and their little one plays with yours and picks up parvo virus that is then transferred to their house etc etc. This is just one possible scenerio. Also whomever cleans up or mows the yard and steps where there has been feces picks up the virus on their shoes and spread it wherever they walk. F) some people treating their animals at home have not informed themselves enough and stop treating too soon after the obvious symptoms of the disease disappear.
Yes there are vets out there that will take advantage of people in the costs of vaccines and treatments just like there are bad cops, bad Medical Doctors, bad everything. But there are a lot of good honest one out there too.
What people have to realize is just how strong the Parvo virus is. Most viruses can only live a short time out of the body or out of bodily fluids. Even the virus that causes AIDS cannot live long outside of bodily fluid. Parvo is a hearty virus that lives up to 2 years in the soil (These numbers come not from Veternarians but from both the CDC and independant labs studying the virus).
Those of you who choose to treat your pets holistically that is fine and dandy it is your choice and I am sure there is a lot of success just like there are a lot of people who choose to raw feed their dogs some even giving raw chicken bone and all claiming that raw bones don't splinter but they can tell that to my neighbor who tried it and lost their dog when a raw chicken bone perforated the colon and the dog died from a bacterial infection in the abdominal cavity. I guess what I am getting to in the last part of my post is to make sure that if you are treating your pet holistically at home particularly for something like parvo make sure you do your research so you know how long to treat your pet after the obvious symptoms disappear a well informed person in these things just will do a better job. information is the key just like if the raw feeders would do the research they would know the reason animals in the wild that eat birds don't get punctured colons because they eat the whole bird including the feathers which help protect the digestive tract.
Goodluck in your area with parvo I have seen too many dogs die from this disease and it is a cruel death.
Posted: Saturday, September 08, 2007
Article comment by:
Kim
Just because a dog has had the Parvo virus does not mean it is
immune. The dog still needs to be vaccinated, she said."
BS!! There are not a bunch of strains of Parvo. Once a dog has had
the virus he will never get it again nor does he need further Parvo
vaccines. This is yet another misinformed vet spewing garbage and
using a few cases as a scare tactic to lure in people to give
unnecessary and quite possibly dangerous vaccines. The vaccine was
shown to provide 7 years of immunity (end of study) and thought to
provide a lifetime of immunity. If I can read the study, the books,
the facts.. seems like a vet ought to be able to grasp it all too.
I honestly do not believe for a minute that there is an 'epidemic'
happening here but I do think the clinics will benefit greatly from
the scare tactics/story.
I too am concerned that the vet is suggesting that people who give their own vaccines are in part responsible. The vaccines a person can buy online or at he local farm store are from the SAME drug companies that the vets vaccines are from. The argue that the vaccines may have gotten warm and no good. Iv'e heard ALL the bogus claims... The vts do NOT KNOW if their vaccines sat on a dock either. They don't send someone on a mission to Fort Dodge to pick them up. Gimme a break! Just another ploy to scare people into getting out their wallets to help make a vets house payments!
Posted: Saturday, September 08, 2007
Article comment by:
tammy
It's not just Arizona - I've seen a huge increase in requests for Parvaid and Vibactra Plus in my area in Ohio, plus Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and even Tennessee. This is one illness where it clearly pays to be prepared.
Posted: Saturday, September 08, 2007
Article comment by:
DalaneGR
There has also been success with treating parvo virus victims with Tamiflu. The Veterinary experts in the field of endocrinology have determined that any vaccination given to a dog after the age of 6 mos (when the immune system is believed to be mature) will last their lifetime. Many Veterinarians do not disclose this finding to their clients for fear of revenue loss.
Posted: Saturday, September 01, 2007
Article comment by:
Wanda Brown
I'm very concerned when a veterinarian makes a misleading statement that one of the problems causing the parvovirus outbreak stems from pet owners who vaccinate their own pets. The comment that pet owners are vaccinating their pets themselves and this somehow contributes to the "epidemic" is false. Promoting their business by indicating vets and their vaccines are somehow better is preposterous. Also, within the body of the article is the admission that parvo occurs more frequently this time of year every year. I also recommend pet owners insist on bringing home and treating their own pets if they cannot afford to leave them in vet hospitals. There are countless success stories that are ignored in this article.
Posted: Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Article comment by:
Mark
In our experience, vet / animal hospital bills can be as high as $6,000 per dog, which is clearly beyond many people's reach.
However, there are safe, herbal alternatives to vet's treatments such as Parvaid and Vibactra Plus that can be applied at home, which means people don't have to euthanise their pets after all.
We hate to hear about dogs being killed needlessly because people aren't prepared to deal with this virus, which is why we put together a free book about Parvo that anybody can download.
We'd appreciate any help you can offer in promoting this free book, as we're keen to educate as many dog owners and dog organisations as possible about Parvo and the treatment options that are available.
The book can be downloaded from www.ParvoBook.com
Thanks,
