Parvo virus is one of the most fatal viral diseases that is highly contagious. It can affect our pets, including dogs and cats, particularly in puppies. Puppies that are between 6 weeks and 6 months old can also be infected by this virus.
The virus takes on 2 different forms: intestinal and cardiac. The intestinal one is characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and lack of appetite, while the cardiac is often a deadly attack on the heart muscles of the very young puppies or kittens.
Parvo virus can be prevented by vaccines, however, if it is left untreated, it may increase the mortality rate. Make sure you know all of these essential vaccines for cat and get all of them for your cats!
There are some symptoms of parvo virus in pets, such as lethargy, anorexia, fever, dehydration, severe weight loss, rapid heartbeat, red and inflamed tissue around the eyes and mouth, pain or discomfort, severe and bloody diarrhea, and low body temperature. No wonder, parvo virus is one of the causes of sudden death in puppies and vomiting in newborn kittens.
Because parvo virus is deadly and fatal for your pets, you should do everything to prevent your pets from getting one. Here they are the 4 things you can do to prevent your pets from getting parvo virus.
- Vaccinate Your Pet
Vaccinations are very essential for pets, especially from preventing certain diseases which are caused by virus. Parvo virus can also be prevented by vaccination. It’s proven by some studies that there are some effective vaccines that will prevent parvo virus both in cats and dogs.
Puppies or kittens should receive their first parvo vaccination when they are around 6 to 8 weeks age. It should be administered with boosters every three weeks until they are around 16 weeks age. They are supposed to receive another booster one year later. After that, they can be given the booster every three years.
After the first three initial parvo virus boosters, your pet should get an immunity for life. Regular boosters administered after that are just to make sure that your pet keeps the immunity. Consult with your vet about the timeline of the vaccines.
- Limit Your Contact with Other Dogs
Parvo virus can be transmitted by other pets. That’s why if you have an unvaccinated dog or cat at home, please completely avoid contact with all other animals, even though the dog or cat is vaccinated, it could be carrying the virus. Not only the animal, but you yourself can be the carrier of the virus.
If you have a contact with another pet, make sure to take precautions so that you wouldn’t transmit the virus to your pets at home. The precautions include thoroughly washing your hands immediately after contact. Once you get home, change your clothes as well. Avoid putting your socks in the place which is accessible to your pets.
- Avoid Bringing Home a New Pet
Don’t ever bring a new pet home until it is vaccinated. Bringing a new pet to an environment with an unvaccinated pet is just adding a problem. Once again, pets can be the carrier of parvo virus, and without any way of knowing, they can spread to your pet at home. Dogs or cats from a shelter are likely to carry the disease.
If you wish to bring home a new pet, make sure it is fully vaccinated. Your pet should get at least 3 parvo shot boosters before bringing it home.
- Deworm Your Pet
Unvaccinated puppies or kittens have a very low immune system and as a result it makes them more susceptible to parvo virus. Statistically, puppies between the age of 6 weeks and 4 months old are most likely to contract dog parvo virus.
If your puppy or kitten has intestinal worms, then their immune system may be even lower. Worms in pets are bringing more risks of health problems. Preventing worms in kittens and puppies will surely provide many health benefits for them and help prevent the contraction of parvo virus too.
There are 2 ways to prevent worms in your pet. Firstly, use a monthly heartworm medication, which includes the intestinal dewormer. Monthly heartworm medications will require vet prescription, so make sure to consult with your vet.
The second one is by using over-the-counter dog or cat dewormer which can be used for times per year. By preventing your pets from getting worms, it will surely increase your chance to prevent parvo virus as well.
Make sure you know both the symptoms of symptoms of worms in cats and worms in dogs.