During the past two years or so, we’ve worked with well over 850 customers, and we’ve noticed one common thread, which is: people don’t seem to comprehend just how aggressive and fast-acting the Parvo virus is.

You can go to bed one night, with a perfectly healthy-looking, happy dog, and wake up in the morning to a very sick one – and, yes, the title of this article is not just a play on a popular expression, because Parvo has an unmistakable smell, as the diarrhea, which is frequently one of the first symptoms to appear with the latest 2c strain of this virus, is absolutely disgusting and unlike anything else you may have experienced before.

We had one customer, in the Pacific Northwest, whose dog first showed symptoms of Parvo on a Sunday morning, and by later that afternoon, it was already dead.

Even when this virus doesn’t claim your dog’s life quite so quickly, too many dog owners sit around for day after day, with their dog clearly not well, and doing nothing about it, because they reckon they have time.

But they don’t!

You know what dogs are like – most of them, if not all, absolutely love their food, so if you noticed that your dog skipped even one meal, wouldn’t you be concerned that something might be gravely wrong?

All of our dogs are, thank goodness, healthy (although we do live in the worst state for Parvo), but even on those rare occasions when one of them does throw up, they are eager to eat again just minutes later, so a dog that’s off his food for several hours (which is in many cases the first sign you’ll see that your dog has Parvo, provided you’re observant, of course) should be a big, red warning sign.

The sad thing is, there is so much bad advice around about Parvo that a lot of dog owners are lulled into a false sense of security.

People think they’re safe because:

• Their dog is vaccinated and up-to-date on all of its shots. Here’s the reality: Parvo vaccinations are not effective against the 2c strain (which is why many of our customers are finding that even their adult dogs are being infected, and dying, from this virus, even though they’ve had all of their vaccinations), and your dog may even develop full-blown Parvo symptoms (particularly if your dog is given his shot after he’s been infected, which is just about the worst possible thing you can do).
• They have an adult dog, and everybody knows that Parvo only affects puppies. Sorry, wrong again! Parvo may still primarily be a puppy illness, but more and more adult dogs are getting it now as well. We’re sort of tired of saying this, but it bears repeating until people get it: vaccinations don’t work like they used to – the latest 2c strain of Parvo is just too strong and most vaccines on the market today are only effective against the older 2a and 2b strains (and that’s not to mention the long-term health problems with all vaccinations, which most vets keep quiet about).
• They take their dog to the vet’s to have it tested, and the test comes back negative, so they do nothing. Time for another reality check: the 2c strain of Parvo often generates a false-negative result, especially with the in-clinic stool sample tests that are very popular these days. This is another example of how the medical profession has not caught up with the development of the Parvovirus – you think your dog is OK, when in fact he does have Parvo, and that leads to your doing nothing while the virus quietly launches its attack on your dog’s body (mainly the immune system and his intestinal tract) for several days until, suddenly, you see symptoms.
• They never take their dog outside, which means it won’t get infected by the Parvo virus. Sorry to burst this balloon as well, but one of the most common reasons why indoor dogs get Parvo is because it is their owners (or breeders) who give it to them! Yes, people walk this virus into their house without realizing it (or take it in on their clothes or hands). This is why we always suggest that people (including visitors) change their shoes whenever they go indoors.

So, with so many myths floating around, not to mention bad advice, where can you go to get accurate and up-to-date information that you can use, safe in the knowledge that it will help your dog, and not make matters worse?

Because another problem we see all the time is that people have never even heard of Parvo – until their dog gets it, of course – and, somewhat amazingly, we even come across people who breed dogs commercially who don’t know what Parvo is. It seems to us that this is basic information and knowledge that you must have if you’re going to work in the doggie business!

Well, you’ll be glad to know that we have written a 100+ page ebook all about Parvo, called Parvo Treatment 101, that you can download to your computer in minutes – and the best part is that it’s 100% free.

This is an excellent place to start, as it contains practically everything you need to know about this virus, including the symptoms to look out for, treatment options, and much more.

If your dog is already sick, however, and by that, we mean that a vet has confirmed that your dog does have Parvo, or he shows one or more of the standard Parvo symptoms, or even if you believe or know that he was exposed to the virus within the last two or three days, then you should delay reading this book, because you need to administer Parvo treatment right away, because the one thing you don’t have with this virus is time. You can always read our free book later, once your dog is stabilized, or better.

We hope that you found this article both interesting and useful, and if it helps you save your dog’s life, even better. However, we do have a load more information about Parvo treatment for you, which is in addition to what’s in our free book.

We’d like to close by encouraging all dog owners to at least be educated about just how devastating this virus can be, and about the treatment options that are available (you don’t have to take your dog to the vet and spend anywhere from $500 USD to over $10,000 USD, for a success rate that offers no better odds than tossing a coin, because safe, effective, inexpensive Parvo home remedies are available), so please, if you know anybody with a dog, then do forward this article, or our free book, on to them – you just never know when they might might need it, and there’s nothing better than knowing that you’ve helped to save somebody’s beloved pet from the excruciatingly painful death that the Canine Parvovirus often brings.

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