If you’ve had dogs, you have most likely heard the word “parvo”. Have you heard of the Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody though??? Me either, until a few months ago.
The Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody (CPMA) has been a driving force for me to start this blog. I felt like I needed to do my part to promote this new groundbreaking treatment, because I have seen it in action, and I don’t feel like it has been promoted that heavily. I have witnessed a puppy who contracted parvo and was 4 days in when diagnosed. How terrifing but, low and behold, this was the introduction to the CPMA. Normally parvo is a death sentence for pups, right? Not anymore! This treatment has changed that. Within 24 hours this little pup was making a comeback! He was turning around, and within a few days, he was back to his normal puppy self! How about that! Nothing short of a miracle in my book! So how is this possible? Well, I will tell you. First though, let’s just have a quick overview of what parvo is, but I’m not going to go too deep because this blog is primarily to inform you about this new treatment…
The canine parvovirus is a highly contagious and hardy virus that affects dogs. It can also affect coyotes, foxes, and wolves. It is spread through feces. It can also live outside of the body, and it is highly resistant to all types of environmental conditions, and able to live for a very long time in the environment. It can be transferred by direct contact with an infected dog, shoes, clothing, skin, and any other virus-contaminated surfaces or items like water bowls, collars, leashes, kennels, etc. In 1977/78, the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia first recognized the virus, when a similar virus to the feline panleukopenia virus crossed over from cats causing a new type of disease in domestic dogs. Parvovirus became worldwide within two years. Dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite are some signs of parvo. Diagnosis can be made through a fecal test.
Since the Parvovirus vaccination was discovered in 1979, the virus has mutated into three strains. Vaccines today have been modified to protect against all three strains. Puppys should get all four rounds of vaccinations (I will be doing another blog on the details of puppy vaccines!). After that, annual vaccines are given to protect dogs by allowing the dogs to keep an immune response that produces antibodies that inactivate the virus if they were to come into contact with it. And with dog parks, rest stops, travel center, and other public places pet owners frequent, I guarantee you and your doggie will at some point come into contact with this virus. Vaccines are extremely important.
How does the CPMA work? It is a single (one time dose) injection given intravenously, and from there it binds to the virus in the blood stream, where is then neutralizes and inactivates it, and prevents it from reaching target organs that it attacks, mainly the GI tract. The CPMA injection offers an immediate high-level dose of defense. So, you can think of it like this; when the parvovirus enters a body, it’s like a little parvo army that has been given instructions and already knows what they are there to attack. The body is like the land that is being attacked. It’s responds is to identify the parvo army and produce the right weapons to fight back (antibodies). The problem is, by the time the body starts to produce the right weapons, the parvo army has made them so weak, they can’t fight back. However, with the new CPMA treatment, it’s like the body got help from allied forces, and all of a sudden, the parvo army is outnumbered! This treatment is a game changer, and for pups who contract parvo and get this new treatment, survival rate is close to, if not, 100%.
So, what about the cost? I’m not here to mislead anyone. This is not a cheap treatment. I will tell you, depending on the severity of the case in which the puppy has, it can be anywhere from $4000 to $8000 (ballpark). This treatment includes the monoclonal antibody dose, and the stay at the vet for symptom management, until the pup is stable enough to go home. (The pup in this story was able to come home on the third day.) I know. Thats costly. I’m sorry for that. I want to help you save money anywhere and everywhere I can when it comes to caring for you doggie, but this treatment is just so new. Hopefully as time goes by, and more people become aware of it making it more in demand, the price will decrease. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, and I promise to continue to follow the progress, and post any updates here.
So, what happened to the puppy? Well, this story ends with a wagging tail. He is living with his family, happy and healthy, like a puppy should be.
So, did you know that most cleaning agents will not kill the parvovirus? I plan to do a blog on the cleaning procedures and products we use soon, as well as preventative measures we follow in our breeding program to keep this from happening in our kennel, so stay tuned!
God bless, Lady Llewellin
References: 1. http://my.elanco.com 2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (National Library of Medicine) 3. westminsteru.edu 4. http://www.vet.cornell.edu (Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine) 5. Baker Institute of Animal Health 6. avma.org (American Veterinary Medical Association)
Lady Llewellin 
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