Those of us who raise pet dogs all know that dogs are prone to illness because their immunity is relatively weak. Common diseases include skin diseases, distemper, rabies, and parvovirus. Among these, parvovirus is probably the most severe. It is a contagious disease, and dogs infected with parvovirus usually have a hard time surviving. Parvovirus typically occurs in puppies because puppies are more fragile and easily infected by bacteria or other pathogens. Today, let’s understand what symptoms parvovirus has.

Common symptoms of parvovirus include myocarditis symptoms and gastrointestinal symptoms. Myocarditis mainly occurs in five-week-old puppies, and it is generally hereditary. Puppies infected with parvovirus will have particularly difficult breathing, poor mental state, accompanied by a rapid heartbeat, and they may die within a few hours. Gastrointestinal symptoms have early and late stages. In the early stage, the puppy’s behavior will be rather dull, with no appetite but vomiting occurs. They also occasionally defecate. In the early stage, the feces are gray or yellow, but in the late stage, the feces will have a very strong foul smell. In some severe cases, the feces may also contain blood. Puppies with gastrointestinal symptoms gradually lose weight and eventually die. It takes only four days from infection with parvovirus to death.

So why do dogs get parvovirus? The first reason is that puppies are not fed well. For example, milk should not be given to puppies. Puppies drinking milk can cause diarrhea or vomiting and damage their gastrointestinal function. Dog food should be light, especially for puppies. If the food is too oily or spicy, puppies will also have diarrhea. When feeding puppies, do not feed them bones because puppies’ teeth are not fully developed, and sharp bones or meat can injure their gastrointestinal tract.

Generally, dogs should not eat chocolate, grapes, and similar foods. These foods not only affect the dog's health but can seriously threaten their life. Puppies should not eat them either. Parvovirus is a contagious disease. Once a dog is infected, try to isolate the pet at home to prevent contagion, especially weaker pets that are more prone to infection. Once infected with parvovirus, the dog usually dies.