Parvovirus Vaccinations
Parvovirus is a flu-like viral disease that's specific to dogs and is the most common infectious canine disease in the United States, reports PetEducation.com. Puppies are most often affected primarily because they've yet to build immunity to the disease. The virus targets the digestive system, interfering with the assimilation of nutrients and fluids. This results in diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy. The vaccination is considered highly effective and is given to very young puppies and is administered annually in adult dogs.
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Significance
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The virus is spread by contact with infected feces. Also, rodents and insects can serve as conveyors of the disease. Parvovirus can thrive for as long as five months on inanimate objects. Anything that makes contact with the virus must be washed with a bleach solution. It's important that a severely stricken animal see a veterinarian because mortality rates can be high. Rehydration and intravenous nutrition are key.
Immunity
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Should a puppy come down with the parvovirus and recover, he sustains immunity for about 20 months and potentially for the rest of his life, states PetEducation.com. Otherwise, it's quite difficult to successfully vaccinate a puppy against parvo. The antibody protection the mother confers on her pups actually gets in the way of the vaccine. It is therefore recommended that puppies get inoculated every three to four weeks beginning at 6 weeks of age and until about 20 weeks of age.
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Live CPV-2 Vaccine
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The general overarching strain of virus is called canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2). Modified live CPV-2 vaccines are plentiful in the marketplace. The vaccines presently being made protect against all strains of the virus. This includes the somewhat novel parvovirus type 2c. Some pet owners worry that modified live preparations can actually end up causing disease but, according to PetEducation.com, this is not the case with any commercially made vaccines.
Vaccine Efficacy
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Modified live vaccines are efficacious and pose no risks. However, even with the most superior vaccination regimen, all puppies will have a window of susceptibility of at least several days in which they will be at risk for contracting the disease. What's more, the newer CPV-2c strain is somewhat of a question mark because it is hard to pinpoint in lab tests. The recently developed vaccines may not provide the kind of protection that's desired.
Considerations
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Common wisdom dictates that there could be other yet-to-be-targeted strains of the parvovirus on the horizon. These could soon emerge. The recent science in vaccinating against parvo has gone far in controlling the spread of this sometimes unpredictable disease. Nevertheless, even with rigorous vaccination protocols, some dogs still come down with parvo and die from their illness.
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References
- Photo Credit syringe image by Rckhnd from Fotolia.com
