Parvo...so much Parvo

There have been massive outbreaks of Parvo and rabies in South Africa, with dogs dying left and right. It’s absolutely horrible!

I’m concerned about the safety of my dogs. They’ve both been vaccinated against Parvo and rabies three times. The first shots were done by the SPCA, and the second and third by my vet.

They received their shots again in September, including the Nobivac DHPPI and rabies vaccines.

I’ve also heard stories about a new strain of Parvo, where vaccinated dogs are getting it much worse because they were vaccinated.

I don’t take them to parks or unfamiliar places, but I do a lot of home checks for one of the rescues I volunteer with, and I don’t want to bring anything home that my dogs could catch.

As long as you wash your hands thoroughly and do not have any poop on your shoes, the poopsies should be okay.

Why would you be concerned if your dogs are vaccinated? Isn’t this what immunizations are for?

I should probably be more specific in my response. How old are the Poopsie’s? Adult dogs are much less susceptible to parvo than puppies. After three series of shots, the poopsies should be completely protected. But it never hurts to be extra cautious. Wash your hands completely before touching your own dogs, and make sure there is no excrement on your shoes or anywhere else that your doggies could get into, such as your yard if you have one. Hopefully, the people you’re doing home checks for have clean yards and vaccinated dogs.

The poopsies are between three and four years old. Fortunately, I know they are low-risk! But hearing stories of vaccinated adults contracting parvo scares me to death.

The majority of people have done really well. I’ve only had one home inspection where I was like, “Wow, this is NOT suitable”. And, course, all of our rescues are vaccinated and sterilized (if in excellent health) before being placed in foster care and subsequently rehomed.

We definitely need to know the ages of your dogs. If they are 12 weeks old and have had 10 vaccines, that’s still not enough. The last vaccines as puppies need to be at or around 16 weeks of age, or they are still at risk.

You only need to wash your hands if you’ve touched a Parvo-positive dog or picked up stool with your bare hands. Avoiding stepping in stool is obviously important, too. Also, don’t take your puppies to places where any poop might have been from a Parvo dog if they are not fully vaccinated. If they are adults and have had multiple vaccines, there’s very little to worry about, as long as one of those vaccines was a booster given about a month after the first one.

They are approximately three and four years old

I’ll have to check their vet books to determine if they received their boosters. I know Leesi did, but I am not sure about Faye. I would have taken her for a booster, and I am sure the vet would have mentioned it again, but I will double-check.

It seems like they’ve been fully vaccinated and up to date, so that’s all you can do. If it’s a different strain, getting vaccinated won’t hurt. Unfortunately, nothing can be done to stop it. I would contact your local veterinarians to check if they have any information on vaccinated pets falling unwell…Or if it’s a different strain. I’ve had adult, vaccinated dogs near parvo pups and never had a problem. It was never a worry.

Thank you, Iris. I’ll ask the vet next time I’m there if they’ve had any recent cases.

Paranoid Mama is back in full force. Leesi developed a terrible rash a month ago, which was caused by an allergic response to something. She was on cortisone and antibiotics for ten days!!! The veterinarian stated that she had never seen a case as severe as Leesi’s.

Activated Charcoal. Please, spread the word. It rescues them. I’ve used it and it works! Small dose every 4 hours, including electrolytes. Please spread the word so that we can help puppies everywhere. God Bless.

I don’t mean to be nasty, but this is incorrect information.
Veterinarians do not advocate charcoal as a therapy for Parvovirus.

Charcoal is used to treat poisoning or the ingestion of certain poisonous compounds, but not all of them.
Charcoal absorbs some poisons, preventing them from entering the bloodstream. It can be really beneficial for this and other gastrointestinal ailments.

However, PARVO is a virus, not an absorbable toxin. Charcoal will not treat a virus.