Managing Parvovirus, Coronavirus and Other Diseases in a Litter or Kennel By Marty Greer, DVM | February 1, 2022
Why do we lose puppies to diseases such as coronavirus or parvovirus or what appears to be parvovirus?
in person. Use Zoom, Facetime or other virtual visiting options to prevent visitors from bringing in diseases.
This can be due to a combination of factors that all collide at just the wrong moment in the life of a young puppy: How to Protect Puppy from Parvo and Other Diseases Until puppies are “fully vaccinated” at 16 or more weeks of age, they should be kept isolated from groups of dogs such as congregations at puppy classes and dog parks. The Nobivac Canine 1-DAPPv+Cv 6-way shot for dogs protects against corona, distemper and parvovirus. Meanwhile the Nobivac Canine 1-DAPPvL2+Cv 8-way dog vaccine protects against corona, distemper, parvovirus and Lepto. To assess that an individual dog has developed protective levels of antibodies to distemper and parvovirus, a titer can be done on that individual. Most owners do not opt for this extra step due to cost and low yield of information. Where do Puppies Pick Up Diseases? Parvovirus, coronavirus, distemper virus and other viruses, as well as bacteria such as Leptospirosis, can be brought into the environment in several ways. These viruses and bacteria can be carried into the kennel on the clothing and shoes of visitors or family who have been around sick dogs or dogs shedding virus. They can also be carried into the kennel by rodents who enter the kennel seeking food and water. Do NOT allow employees, visitors, family or workers to bring diseases into your kennel. Visitors need to take off their shoes or walk through a disinfecting bath, remove outerwear, and wash with plenty of soap and water. If they have had a sick dog, been to another kennel, shelter, dog park, and so on – they cannot visit
A little-known source of exposure is wildlife in the environment around the kennel. This includes foxes, coyotes and raccoons. Raccoons travel to a latrine to eliminate stools and urine. These tend to be on the tree line or fence line of rural properties. However, these vermin are prevalent in suburban areas as well. These critters can carry parvovirus, coronavirus, distemper virus and leptospirosis bacteria, all of which can cause serious disease in puppies as well as adult dogs, and in some cases, humans. To locate, destroy, and disinfect these latrines, refer to Raccoon Latrines. Puppy Parvovirus and Coronavirus Parvovirus and coronavirus are both viruses that affect a puppy’s intestinal tract. The intestines are lined with little finger-like projections called villi to increase the surface area over which fluids and nutrients can be absorbed. Parvovirus causes the base of these villi to be lost. Coronavirus causes the tips of the villi to be lost. When a puppy has both viruses at the same time, the bad disease becomes catastrophic. Not only does the puppy lose the ability to absorb essential fluid and food, bacteria can invade the body through the intestinal tract, causing a septic condition to develop. In addition, parvovirus diminishes the ability of rapidly dividing cells to develop. In this case, the intestinal integrity is lost as is the ability to produce enough white blood cells to be present fight this bacterial invasion. This allows intestinal bacteria to invade the body, causing an overwhelming bacterial infection. An in-veterinary office test kit can be used to diagnose parvovirus. This test can show a positive result not only from a parvovirus infection, but also if there has been a recent parvovirus vaccination. Along with the parvo
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