It is almost impossible, besides putting your dog in a bubble, to make 100% sure that the dog will not catch the virus. Thankfully there are a number of different ways to prevent your dog from getting the parvovirus.

Vaccine

The vaccine against Parvovirus is widely available and can be administered at your local vet. It is very important to get the vaccine, as prevention is always better than cure.  If your dog has the parvovirus vaccine then it will be difficult for the virus to be able to spread and there should not be any long term serious damage to the bone marrow or other vital organs of your dog.

The vaccine is normally given in three separate doses, so expect to have to take your dog back to the vet more than once. The first few vaccines are dead vaccines, in order to prepare your dog’s immune system. After these injections, you will need to take your pet back to the vet in order to give them the live virus vaccine in the form of a booster shot. This is very important and many owners forget this vital step.

Very young puppies cannot have the parvovirus vaccine because they have antibodies from their mother which can react with the virus. The time when most dogs catch parvovirus is in this window before it is possible to administer the parvovirus vaccine. If your puppy has already caught parvovirus, go straight to the treatment page here.

Sometimes, it is sad to say, vaccines simply don’t work, and you need to accept that. It has been claimed in recent years that the parvovirus is becoming resilient to the vaccine due to a few cases which have come about in dogs who have already had the vaccine. If your dog is exhibiting signs of the parvovirus, even if they have had the vaccine, then please go immediately to the treatment page of this website.

Pet Insurance

If your dog contracts Parvovirus, the veterinary bills could easily rise into six or seven thousand dollars! A little foresight by buying some pet insurance can save you a lot of money in the future. Pet insurance normally costs about 5 pounds a month, but the premium can be higher if your dog is older.

In case of emergency

It is a good idea to have medicine on hand if you can afford it, or if you have a large number of dogs, in case the parvovirus strikes. While there is no cure for parvovirus, there are a number of products that can reduce the symptoms and effectively safe the life of your dog. Check out the treatment page for more details of such products.