Canine Parvovirus: Symptoms, Treatment, and Recovery

Day 1 of infection: Your dog has been exposed to Parvovirus. The infection is currently working it's way to your dog's gut where it will contine to divide over the next few days. 

Dogs are not contagious immediately after being exposed to Parvovirus, but should be kept isolated if possible. 

Day 3-5 of infection: While Parvovirus incubates inside your dog, their contagion risk rises, meaning they will start expelling Parvovirus in their feaces where it can infect the envrioment and other dogs. 

Day 5-10 of infection: Once a dog shows symptoms of Parvovirus, they are already highly contagious. This means they should be kept far away from other dogs to prevent the spread, especially around dogs with weak or underdeveloped immune systems. 

This is when most owners will notice Parvo in dogs, but the infection is already rife. The sooner your dog is treated, the better chances they have of survival. 

Dogs undergoing treatment for Parvovirus are typically kept hospitalised for constant monitoring of their condition. 

Even while a dog is undergoing treatment for Parvo, they are still highly contagious and should be kept away from other dogs in order to recover. 

Even after a dog is treated for Parvovirus, they are still highly contagious. Even if their symptoms have abated and they have no noticable symptoms of the virus, you should keep them at home until at least two weeks after they have finished treatment or until they test negative on a canine parvo test. 

The key to preventing Parvovirus is good hygiene both at home and while out and about. Good hygiene practices include: 

• Promptly cleaning up after your dog 
• Washing your hands after handling dog poop 
• Disinfecting your shoes when returning from areas with high dog traffic  
• Regularly cleaning your dog’s food and water bowls 
• Washing your dog’s bed, collar, leads and harnesses weekly 

Socializing your new puppy is essential for helping them grow into a well-rounded adult dog, but there’s nothing wrong with being selective about who and what you socialise your dog to early on.

No matter how much you want your puppy to meet other dogs, you should never allow your puppy to meet with another dog until they are fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated puppies should also not go outside the home on walks until they’re fully vaccinated.  

You can learn more about socialising your puppy in our guide to puppy training.  

There is no cure for Parvo in dogs. Instead, treatment for Parvovirus focuses on supporting and monitoring a dog in the hopes their body can fight off the infection and preveting any secondary infections caused by their weakened immune system. 

Prevention is always the first step towards fighting viruses like Parvo in dogs. 

Parvovirus is extremely contagious in dogs, which is part of the problem.

Dogs become contagious even before symptoms set in, allowing your dog to unwittlingly continue to the spread when they defecate in places with high dog traffic, such as parks, dog walking trails, kennels, and more. 

Plus, dogs remain highly contagious during and after treatment and recovery, which is why quarantining dogs infected with Parvo is crucial to prevent futher spread. 

An incubation period is how long it takes from first expsoure to a virus to symptoms setting in. 

The incubation periods for canine parvovirus can vary depening on strains, the verall health of the dog, and other factors, but it gets to work fast. The average incuation period for canine parvo is 3-7 days, but it can range from 2-14 days.

Things that can impact the incubation period of Parvovirus in dogs includes:

• Dog's Age - younger dogs with under-developed immune systems may see a faster incubation period of 3-5 days.  Older dogs with weaker immune systems are also at risk, but may see a longer incubation period of 7-10 days after expsoure, making it harder to detect and treat the virus early. 
• How many dogs  - the more dogs you have, the higher the risk of it passing between them, with shorter incubation periods due to higher exposure to the virus. 
• Different Strains - some straind of canine parvovirus have a shorter incubation period with symptoms showing within 2-3 days after exposure. The rapid onset of these strains are more dangerous to young or vulnerable pets. 
• Dog's health - dogs who suffer from stress or other taxing health conditions may see a shorter incubation period for the disease, or suffer more severely from the symptoms. 
• Whether a dog is vaccinated - Dogs who are vaccinated are less likely to contract the disease, and if they do, tend to have a milder, more treatable case than dogs with no vaccines. 
• Route of transmission - dogs who consume contaminated feaces or dirt face a higher concentration of the virus and may develop symptoms faster than other dogs.