"Serious viral disease of recent apparition (1978) with compulsory declaration induced by an extremely polymorphic and contagious virus."
It is a viral disease induced by the Parvovirus.
It didn't occured before 1978, year within which it appeared simultaneously in several places of the world.
Its exact origin still remains unknown (mutation from the feline gastro-enteritis? Contamination from a centre of infection until when untrodden by humans and dogs? other?).
It seems that, at start, it was a bit less fatal than today.
The parvovirus is a virus made with a double helix of RNA (RNA is usually a molecule in a single helix working as orders communication machine from the cell nucleus to its body). Thus, it incorporate itself easily in any organism, or quite.
It is very polymorphic which means that it may change its shape and its attacks mode, a bit like the flu (about which we known about 120 different forms): It mutates.
It attacks several animal types: Mammals (mainly dogs), birds, insects, which explain its very fast and considerable influence.
Some breeds, like Dobermans and Rottweilers, seems more sensitive than others.
The transmission is done by direct contact with the microbe, respiration included.
The virus spreads by billions from ill animals, by dejections, salive, vomit (their analysis in laboratory confirm the disease very quickly: The virus is extremely abundant in each particle rejected by the ill body).
It is very resistant and may survive in hostile habitat for several years, eventhough it is estimated that after six months the risk becomes null, on average.
Thus, at the moment when an object is polluted, disease transport is unavoidable, above all here, where its presence is general. Dogs having touched contaminated dejections may infect other dogs. Shoes, dresses, dirty hands, anything may be used as dispersal agent.
As the virus outside surviving is very long, it is pratically impossible to avoid to transport some without a rigorous hygiene.
It exists at least two main forms, which rarely develop at the same time on the same subject:
Gastro-enteritis
The too famous puppies "gastro".
For Polynesian puppies this is the greatest risk, at the same level as the FIV in cats.
Warning : It occurs not only on puppies, adults dogs are also targets.
Gastro-enteritis means stomach (= gastros, in old greek) and intestines (= enteron) disease.
Incubation lasts from three days to three weeks.
Signs you have to watch about are:
Declared disease is very quickly fatal if not treated.
Even so, as for too much viral diseases, the treatment is very hazardous: Even if numerous ill and treated dogs recover, it don't exists any 100% effective healing treatment.
A short remission period precedes the death.
In this syndrome, the virus attacks mainly the intestine mucous membrane, deeply destroyed. This explains the bloody vomits and diarrheas, little meals, dehydratation and thirst, as for the general tiredness.
It attacks then the lymph ("white" blood, without red cells but full of white cells, the cells having in charge the whole body defence) and to the bone marrow which "melt" very quickly, destroying this way the immune system (marrow produces all blood cells, and white cells manage the immune system).
The virus may also show him this way, even if it is less common since 1997.
The myocarditis is a disease affecting heart muscles (in greek, myos = muscle, cardios = heart): The virus destroys the heart until it stops.
Here, the virus attacks preferentially puppies from 3 weeks to more than one year old, maily between 3 weeks and 2 months. Nevertheless, myocarditis sometimes occurs on adult dogs.
Once the disease declared, prognosis is immediately dark: There is no treatment against the virus itself in the explosion phasis.
Barely we may support the pet in his fight, with drips, allowing to rehydrate and feed him.
It may be enough sometimes to make him wining this battle, but, more often, the death is quickly there.
* The first way is the vaccine : It is the unique way to directly fight against this virus.
The World Vaccination Program against the Parvovirosis had shown its mettle since adult dogs are rarely ill.
There are two kinds of vaccines:
In the first case the vaccination is less at risk but the cover may reveal itself partial.
In the second, the immune system is in contact with an entire virus that he recognizes perfectly after. The risk is that some of these viruses may recover all their powers. That's why it is not recommended on young puppies (less than a month and a half).
A dog to be vaccinated must be in perfect health, thus dewormed long before (at least 10 days).
* Le The second way of prevention is known since more than two centuries and is named hygiene:
It must be rigorous if you come across a contaminated animal, or the places he frequented, at home or elsewhere.
The virus resists to the majority of soaps and detergents and to alcohol! Time and sun change nothing.
On the other hand, Chlorine and bleatch are efficient.
In other words, all must be 'bleached', and many times, to minimize risks in a significant way.
More than 80% of puppies are not protected enough against parvovirosis as they reach one month and a half old.
The reason is simple:
Babies have not yet build their whole body and the immune system don't make an exception.
To alleviate it, Nature put in the first milk of their mother (the very first feeding) what we call the colostrum.
This is a milk doped with food and antibodies.
It will assume for the puppy a protection equal to their mother's one, at start, then this protection will decrease during 6 to 12 weeks.
The puppy must quickly build its own immune system.
In general this maternal shift is enough to allow the puppy to build himself in total safety.
With parvovirosis, this don't work.
The virus "found" this break and it successly attacks at the 5th or 6th week only.
In older dogs, having ended to build their immune system, the attack is harder.
There is thus a hole, a biological weakness concerning the young dogs immune system.
This natural weakness is enough to explain the polynesian slaughters.
Adding to this the difficulty to maintain a strict hygiene under a wet tropical climate, where moreover:
the epidemic extent is awfully LOGIC AND LOGICAL here.