Here’s everything you need to know about parvo in dogs—how to protect your dog from it, the signs of parvo that you should look for, and what to do if you your dog is showing symptoms. Outdoors, the parvovirus can survive for months, and even years, if protected from direct sunlight. A booster shot is administered one year later and every 3 years after that. It’s important to make sure that puppies get the appropriate number of boosters based on their age, and that they are then boostered after one year, and then every one to three years. While it might be tempting to take your new puppy with you everywhere you go, her health depends on keeping her safe until she is fully vaccinated against this life-threatening disease. Recovery from parvovirus varies case by case. The cost of treatment can vary greatly based on the severity of illness, length of hospital stay, and location of the veterinary clinic. If your dog presents parvo symptoms, the first signs are usually slight fever, but fever is not typically apparent to dog owners. It can live on the ground or on surfaces in kennels, on peoples’ hands, or on the clothing of people that have been contaminated. While dogs cannot get feline parvovirus from cats, cats can become infected with canine parvovirus. Make sure your puppy gets vaccinated at the appropriate ages and protect your unvaccinated and partially vaccinated puppies by keeping them in a safe environment. There is an old wives tale that says 'a dog with a dry warm nose has a fever'. Learn the causes, signs and how to keep your dog from becoming infected with parvo. It can survive indoors at room temperature for at least two months and is resistant to many commonly used cleaners and disinfectants. With parvo, intestinal bleeding occurs in the small intestine so that the blood is partially digested and passes out as black, tarry feces (melena). The virus spreads either by direct contact with an infected dog, or through feces, and an infected dog can begin shedding the virus four-to-five days after exposure — often before the dog starts exhibiting any clinical signs of infection. Because of the severity of the disease and its rapid spread through the canine population, CPV has aroused a great deal of public interest. It causes an infectious gastrointestinal (GI) illness in puppies and young dogs, and without treatment, it is potentially deadly. 1  Parvo refers to various virus strains that affect other species, and although they are the same type of virus, they are typically species-specific. Puppies exhibiting signs of sepsis—where the gut becomes so “leaky” from disease that bacteria from the intestines enter the bloodstream—require antibiotic therapy. Parvovirus is a very successful virus—it is highly contagious and tough to kill, making it difficult to eradicate from the environment. Lethargy 4. Parvovirus treatment is focused on curing the symptoms and preventing secondary bacterial infections, preferably in a hospital environment. They most often have much more mild clinical signs than dogs do, but there is a strain of canine parvovirus that can cause severe illness in cats. It is very important that puppies with parvovirus receive adequate nutrition so that their intestines can heal. Hill’s, Purina, and Royal Canin all make prescription veterinary diets that are carefully formulated to be nutritionally balanced and gentle on the GI tract: Hill’s Prescription Diet Digestive Care i/d dry dog food, Hill’s Prescription Diet Digestive Care i/d wet dog food, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric dry dog food, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric wet dog food, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat dry dog food, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat wet dog food. The parvovirus is a particularly resilient virus. For instance, the intranasal one just has to be boostered once a year. During this period, the virus specifically seeks out the most rapidly dividing cells in the body—typically, it starts attacking the tonsils or lymph nodes of the throat. Dogs recovering from a parvo infection should be fed a bland, easily digestible diet.