Tommy Coyote Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 I just got this notice from the National Petsitter Assoc. Vets are seeing a big increase in parvo cases in Indiana - and probably elsewhere as well. They think it's due to the recession and dog owners not getting parvo shots for their dogs in a timely manner. Parvo is really contagious. You can bring it into your house on your shoes even. Dog parks and other places where dogs congregate are terrible for passing on the virus. Actually, any place outside your own property. And now they are seeing it in adults as well as puppies. Might want to be more vigilant. Make sure you dogs are protected. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdarling Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 A good reminder, Mary. My 15-month old pup just got over a bad bout with parvo. (Taking into consideration where she got her vaccinations done, we are assuming it was a mis-handled or expired batch.) I almost lost her, but thankfully she pulled out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvw Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 This is not what I wanted to read right now. I just came home from work to find bloody diahrea in the basement!!! Luckily one of the two dogs is crated so I know who it came from. I better research the other symptoms of Parvo. Jennifer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdarling Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Puking, not eating, and lethargy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierMike Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Puking, not eating, and lethargy. ...and the most gawd awful diarrhea smell you can imagine. And also, living in Indiana and having my wife and son that both work at a vet clinic, yes, the numbers of cases are staggering right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted July 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 I want to add one more thing. My vet told me about a case at their clinic where a dog had just had a titer test for immunity and one month later the dog camedown with parvo. They don't give all shots every year but I think they do every other year. He's not a big fan of titer testing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted July 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 ...and the most gawd awful diarrhea smell you can imagine. And also, living in Indiana and having my wife and son that both work at a vet clinic, yes, the numbers of cases are staggering right now. Did they say why so many right now? Is it worse in the heat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierMike Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Did they say why so many right now? Is it worse in the heat? I don't know if the heat has anything to do with it? Good question though, I'll ask her when she gets home if that has even been brought up. My wife says that the spike that they've seen personally at the clinic is due directly to vaccinations not UTD or just plain no vaccination at all. Many of the clients there are from lower class neighborhoods where puppies are born to unspayed mothers and just passed around to any family that will take them. Alot of the parvo cases are walk-ins these days. When a person just comes in with a parvo case without calling first, it's really dangerous for the people with pets in the lobby who are there to do the right thing and get the preventative vaccines. She also mentioned that for some reason, it has seemed like it's harder to pull a black or black with brown( Rotti type) parvo case out of it. It may be just coincidence that those were the worst cases and brought in later. What ever it is, I hope the numbers of cases go down soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted July 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 I don't know if the heat has anything to do with it? Good question though, I'll ask her when she gets home if that has even been brought up. My wife says that the spike that they've seen personally at the clinic is due directly to vaccinations not UTD or just plain no vaccination at all. Many of the clients there are from lower class neighborhoods where puppies are born to unspayed mothers and just passed around to any family that will take them. Alot of the parvo cases are walk-ins these days. When a person just comes in with a parvo case without calling first, it's really dangerous for the people with pets in the lobby who are there to do the right thing and get the preventative vaccines. She also mentioned that for some reason, it has seemed like it's harder to pull a black or black with brown( Rotti type) parvo case out of it. It may be just coincidence that those were the worst cases and brought in later. What ever it is, I hope the numbers of cases go down soon. I had a vet tell me that Rottis and dobermans are really vulnerable. There might be some other breeds that are, too. They had Rottis that were getting vaccinated every 6 weeks and still got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 I had a vet tell me that Rottis and dobermans are really vulnerable. There might be some other breeds that are, too. They had Rottis that were getting vaccinated every 6 weeks and still got it. That would make me wonder about the efficacy of the vaccine or if there is a different/new strain of the parvovirus that the vaccine wasn't designed for. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted July 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 That would make me wonder about the efficacy of the vaccine or if there is a different/new strain of the parvovirus that the vaccine wasn't designed for. J. I just read that Rotts, Dobermans and Pits all are more susceptible - something to do with a slower developing immune system. One article said that Rotts will get the disease if they are not vaccinated. People just shouldn't take their puppies out around other dogs or any place they could pick up the virus until at least two weeks after their last vaccination. Start vaccinating at 6-8 weeks. It is really nasty stuff. One thing said that some people think parvo is a mutation of the feline distemper virus. (I don't know if mutation is the right word) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I just read that Rotts, Dobermans and Pits all are more susceptible - something to do with a slower developing immune system. One article said that Rotts will get the disease if they are not vaccinated. People just shouldn't take their puppies out around other dogs or any place they could pick up the virus until at least two weeks after their last vaccination. Start vaccinating at 6-8 weeks. No doubt Parvo is horrific. However, where are you reading these things. Is there medical back up or are they just stories? I have to question the above as it's in direct conflict with vaccine protocol if I remember correctly. Also, were the pups in question from breeders, pet stores or is this shelter outbreaks? Any breed can get it. Why single out these 3? Is it maybe due to their numbers, therefor it would skew the results? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 From everything I've read and been told by those who know (and just recently again by my vet for my new pup), shots given before 6 weeks aren't usually recommended and don't "count" for the total number needed for a baby pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 No doubt Parvo is horrific. However, where are you reading these things. Is there medical back up or are they just stories? I have to question the above as it's in direct conflict with vaccine protocol if I remember correctly. Also, were the pups in question from breeders, pet stores or is this shelter outbreaks? Any breed can get it. Why single out these 3? Is it maybe due to their numbers, therefor it would skew the results? There's actually been quite a bit of research done on Dobes and Rottweilers, it seems they have a genetic difference that increases their susceptibility to the disease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 No doubt Parvo is horrific. However, where are you reading these things. Is there medical back up or are they just stories? [snip] Any breed can get it. Why single out these 3? Is it maybe due to their numbers, therefor it would skew the results? Actually, it's been known for a long time that black and tan breeds (rotties, dobes) are far more vulnerable to parvo than breeds of other colours. Additionally, certain breeds like pits and labs are also more susceptible, while cocker spaniels and (I want to say) poodles (?) seem to have a greater immunity. They aren't sure why, but it's been documented fairly extensively in veterinary medicine / journals. IIRC, it has something to do with the genetics of their pigmentation and its effect on their immune systems. RDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Although there's no way of really knowing, it's believed that anywhere up to 8 weeks (and it varies with each individual pup) the mother's antibodies can still be circulating in the pup's bloodstream. Those antibodies will prevent the pup's immune system from mounting a response to a vaccine (which is the whole point of a vaccine, to create immune memory) and so vaccinating a pup too young is simply wasting a vaccine. The big catch, of course, is that no one can say exactly what age the mom's antibodies are no longer providing protection, but consensus seems to be that by 8 weeks mom's antibodies are usually no longer there. And seriously, giving a bunch of vaccines against one particular disease isn't more likely to confer protection than giving just two well-timed vaccines. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Ah, thanks for the info on black and tans, I wasn't aware of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3msmom Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 We live in a bad Parvo area and my vet has seen many pups die of Parvo at 7-8 weeks old. It takes a certain amount of time before a shot has a chance to develop antibiodies in the pup. We start shots at 5-6 weeks old and give 4-5 total, have for quite a few years. This year had it go through pups for the first time and it didn't seem to matter how many shots they'd had, it randomly infected 5 of 9 pups 3-7 months of age. I've had people E-mail me this spring from AZ, PA, ID, OR and TX that had Parvo hit on pups and/or young dogs that had all the current recommended shots. I would question that perhaps we've got a slightly different strain emerging that current shots at present shot schedules are not 100% effective on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emilyfalk Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Quickly, on a related note...in my practice area Distemper is actually the one on the rise. We see Parvo almost weekly (this is no exaggeration) in rural southwestern VA. Today we had our 5th confirmed Distemper case since the beginning-ish of the year. This does not include multiple cases in nearby shelter pups. Personal correspondance with colleagues in VA and PA, one a holistic vet, has revealed a similar trend. I'd take Parvo over Distemper in a heartbeat. Please be sure your dogs are protected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Is there distemper in the raccoon population? Don't dogs and raccoons get the same kind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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