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There are many controversial topics in the dog world, but perhaps none so emotionally charged as the ones relating to vaccines and the diseases they’re supposed to protect from. One of them is canine parvovirus, which poses a huge threat to puppies. For that reason, we are advised to follow a strict vaccine schedule that promises to prevent our dogs from ever catching this scary disease. But parvo in dogs remains one of the most common diseases despite the high vaccination rates.
So, what are we getting wrong? And how can we win the battle against parvo when our own pup gets infected? Parvovirus comes with layers of hard decisions dog owners have to make for the well-being (and ultimate survival) of their dog. The aim of this article is to empower you to regain control over your pup’s treatment so that you can make those big decisions from an informed and confident place, should the day ever come.
Parvo in Dogs — How Dangerous Is It?
Canine parvovirus (also called parvo or CPV) is a highly contagious virus that viciously attacks the cells in the dog’s gastrointestinal system. It also targets the immune and cardiovascular systems. It makes the dog extremely ill and prone to dehydration, hypothermia, and secondary infections. The virus has an incubation period and can stay dormant for up to a week.
Parvo symptoms in dogs emerge in stages. The early signs are low energy and a lack of appetite. Then comes the GI distress, such as vomiting and diarrhea, often with the presence of blood. The pup is soon unable to keep any food down. Abdominal pain, bloating, fever or hypothermia, increased heart rate, breathing difficulties, and collapse can all appear as the virus continues to spread.
Parvovirus takes an extreme toll on the dog’s body. Recovering without any sort of treatment is NOT possible and leads to mortality in over 90% of cases. Your dog cannot fight this virus on his own without any human intervention! Thankfully, treatment is possible and usually successful. Parvo survival rate is significant, as about 80% of dogs survive the virus and make a full recovery.
Risk Factors for Canine Parvovirus
Dogs younger than six months are the most at risk for contracting parvovirus. Among them, puppies aged 10 to 12 weeks seem to be an especially vulnerable group. Parvo in adult dogs is rarer, but it does happen. Some breeds have a higher predisposition for contracting the virus — for example, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Dobermans, American Pitbulls, and Springer Spaniels. Other documented factors that put dogs at higher risk include stress, overcrowding, weakened immune systems, and internal parasites. While infection is possible throughout the year, summer sees the most parvo outbreaks.
Canine parvovirus is highly contagious and is transmitted primarily through contact with infected feces. Sick dogs shed the virus through the feces, so when another dog comes in contact with those feces, it exposes them to the virus. Contagion is also possible through contact with infected surfaces — parvovirus is extremely resilient and can survive in the environment for several months.
Parvo Treatment for Puppies and Adult Dogs
Parvovirus happens to vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs, puppies, and adults, as well as very healthy and sickly ones. Parvovirus is extremely present in the environment; it is NOT your fault. If any veterinary practitioner tries to blame you for your pup’s illness, change them immediately. You can’t make important decisions about your dog’s treatment under duress.
Parvovirus is a serious disease. You shouldn’t attempt to treat it completely on your own. Veterinary guidance and assistance are very important, so find a holistic veterinarian that you trust and can have open communication with. There is no single medicine or cure for parvovirus! The only known treatment is supporting the dog’s immune system as it’s fighting off the infection. You can choose between two treatment types: inpatient and outpatient. Most traditional vets automatically suggest inpatient treatment, but a lot of people aren’t comfortable with that.
A study published in 2020 surveyed vets at 534 Australian veterinary hospitals and found that they overestimated parvo mortality rates by nearly three times! This is a very significant discrepancy with reality and leads to recommending euthanasia too soon!!! Treatment at home ispossible, common, and successful. Below, you will find a general comparison between the two treatment types.
The main goal of any parvo treatment is to replenish the lost fluids, stop diarrhea and vomiting, manage pain, and help the dog regain physical strength. Dehydration is the main cause of parvo mortality, so fluids must be given for as long as the pup isn’t able to keep real food in their system. The first 72 hours are critical — puppies that make it through this period usually make a full recovery. Successful treatment requires round-the-clock care.
| INPATIENT TREATMENT | OUTPATIENT, HOME TREATMENT |
| Happens fully at the vet clinic. The puppy is hospitalized for a week. | Happens at home, under the guidance of your holistic veterinarian. Short visits to the clinic are possible if any tests are needed throughout the process. |
| Only allopathic medicine is used. Owners have very little say or control over the pup’s care. | You can choose which allopathic or holistic medicine is used, giving you a say in your pup’s treatment. |
| Fluids are replenished through an IV. | Fluids are replenished through subcutaneous injections or enemas. IV remains as an option in severe cases. |
| Feeding tubes are used to provide nutrition and electrolytes. | Electrolytes are given with an oral rehydration solution, such as Pedialyte. |
| Antiemetics are given to stop vomiting. Antidiarrheals are sometimes given to stop diarrhea, but they can increase the risk of secondary infections because the gut isn’t working properly. | Holistic remedies are given to stop diarrhea and vomiting. Home treatments for diarrhea focus on rebalancing the gut rather than chemically suppressing the condition. |
| Antibiotics are given to prevent secondary infections. | Natural antibiotics or holistic antiviral remedies can be given to prevent secondary infections. |
Recovery time from parvovirus usually lasts around a week. Once the puppy is strong enough to eat on their own again, gentle nutrition is recommended. The best diet for dogs recovering from parvo is low-fat and easily digestible. The gut is damaged, so probiotics are an essential supplement! Cooked meat is advised over raw in the beginning stages of recovery, but absolutely follow the guidance of your holistic vet if they recommend otherwise.
Holistic Remedies to Help Your Dog Fight Parvo
Because the treatment protocol for parvovirus is purely supportive, research on individual remedies (especially natural ones) is lacking — but we do have plenty of anecdotal evidence and recommendations from practicing holistic vets. Three specific remedies come most highly recommended for parvo. Keep in mind that none of them should be used as singular treatment, but in addition to the protocol already covered in the previous chapter.
1. Colloidal Silver
Colloidal silver is a liquid solution of small silver particles. Silver has a long history in medicine but was eventually put on the back burner when antibiotics became more popular. Holistic veterinarians recommend it as a supportive remedy for parvovirus because it can help prevent and cure secondary infections. Human studies have shown colloidal silver has many antibacterial properties, including against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. You can start giving it to your dog, either in the water or via a dropper, as soon as you first suspect parvo.
2. Paxaid
Also known under the names Paxxin and Parvaid, this is a holistic treatment for all types of severe GI disturbances and is especially praised in relation to parvovirus. The product has thousands of 5-star reviews on Amazon, most of which report how Paxaid helped their dog survive parvo! Ingredients include colloidal silver, echinacea, garlic, oregon grape, goldenseal, and others. The only limitation is that it cannot be used on pets younger than six weeks.
3. Homeopathic Nosodes
Various homeopathic remedies have been reported as helpful in canine parvovirus cases by those who have chosen alternative medicine to battle the disease. If you have a chance to get in touch with a homeopathic vet during your pup’s treatment, definitely do so. In this section, I want to specifically highlight homeopathic nosodes, which can be used as prevention against parvo or as an active treatment.
Based on the homeopathic principle “like cures like,” the nosodes contain inactivated disease particles that are highly, highly diluted — in alignment with another homeopathic principle, the “law of minimum dose.” The nosodes are mostly intended for puppies as a way of building up immunity and creating antibodies, but they can also be given to pregnant females and actively ill dogs.
What About Vaccines?
When it comes to pet vaccines, we’re all operating under different laws. That’s why these conversations can’t really be black and white; instead, they call for nuance. Parvovirus vaccine is globally labeled as a core vaccine. In the United States, that means it’s broadly recommended and given to puppies as standard practice, but it’s not required by law. But in Australia, for example, core vaccines are mandatory.
If you’re traveling with your pet internationally, core vaccines are usually required too. All this to say, we simply don’t always get a choice. Your dog may or may not have been vaccinated for parvo; maybe never, maybe once, maybe several times. Either way, the information in this section will be of value.
According to the parvo vaccine schedule, the first shot is given when the pup is around six weeks old. The shots are then repeated every month until the puppy reaches 20 weeks. From there, boosters are scheduled annually at first and eventually every three years. This vaccination schedule is considered the main (if not the only) preventative measure against parvovirus in traditional veterinary medicine, but still, the virus remains one of the biggest causes of mortality in puppies.
Failures of this vaccine are widely documented throughout scientific literature, indicating that the attempt to immunize dogs solely through the vaccine has not been an effective strategy so far.
How (And Why) the Parvo Vaccine Fails
A case study published in 2009 looked at an interesting case of parvo in three female dogs owned by a veterinarian in Italy. The dogs were aged five months, seven years, and twelve years. All dogs received regular parvo shots in alignment with the schedule. The two adult dogs were vaccinated with yearly boosters — the last one was given just three months before the infection. The puppy was vaccinated for parvo three times before catching the infection.
Both the puppy and the eldest dog showed significant symptoms of the virus but ultimately won the fight and recovered. The other adult dog didn’t show symptoms, but testing confirmed a minor infection was present. Another example from Italy involves 11 young dogs from a breeding kennel; they all got sick with parvo, despite being vaccinated according to the schedule and receiving yearly boosters. The dogs were aged six months to two years.
In 2021, the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) released a study about the number of parvovirus cases in puppies vaccinated just once versus puppies vaccinated multiple times. The study showed no significant difference in virus outbreaks between the two groups — about 1% of puppies contracted the virus either way.
The most documented reason for vaccine failure is that the virus strain in the environment is simply different from the one used in the vaccine. The virus has mutated, developed, and become resistant … and will continue to do so in the future. It’s very similar to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Different geographic areas have different, sometimes even multiple, parvo strains. The second highly documented reason is that puppies are being vaccinated way too early when they still have the antibodies from their mothers. When they receive the vaccine at six weeks, it essentially strips them of that natural protection.
Parvo Prevention Tips — What Can You Do?
- Strengthen your dog’s immune system, especially through the gut microbiome. A strong immune system helps the puppy fight off diseases, plain and simple. A diverse gut microbiome is a key building block of a good immune system — probiotics are the first step to achieving that, followed by good nutrition.
- Don’t socialize your young puppy with dogs who are sick with ANY parvo symptoms, however minor. At least until it’s confirmed they don’t have parvo. Additionally, be cautious about letting small puppies sniff unknown dogs’ feces on the ground; the virus can be transmitted through a simple contact with the nose.
- Schedule antibody tests (titers). They are blood tests that show whether antibodies to fight a certain virus are present in the dog’s system. Titers are the best indicator of your dog’s potential immune response to parvo. The first antibody test can be done at six to eight weeks, then repeated at 12 weeks, five months, one year, and two years. Unfortunately, only about 27% of veterinarians use titer testing, so it’s up to you to actively request it!
- Make informed vaccine decisions. If you choose to vaccinate your pup for parvo, Dr. Peter Dobias, a holistic veterinarian, recommends that you only do it once if the titer tests come back negative and not before the puppy is 12 weeks old. As previously mentioned, younger puppies are still protected by their mother’s antibodies. Vaccinating them robs the puppies of natural immunity. To quote Dr. Dobias: “I have seen this many times in puppies that came to my practice after early vaccination. When I took their titer tests, they had zero antibodies against distemper and parvovirus.” He also affirms that “vaccines are not necessary for dogs that have antibodies.”
- Good hygiene practice. Naturally, your puppy should be living in a clean environment, but if you suspect that any surface your dog is in contact with might carry the virus (for example, you hosted a play date with a puppy that was later diagnosed with parvovirus), clean and disinfect it with 1:30 diluted bleach. Parvo is resistant to most other cleaning solutions!
Sources:
Malmanger, Ellen. “Parvo in Dogs and Puppies: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment for Canine Parvovirus.” PetMD, 30/01/2025.
DiGangi, A. Brian. Craver, Cathlin. Dolan D. Emily. “Incidence and Predictors of Canine Parvovirus Diagnoses in Puppies Relocated for Adoption.” ASPCA, 09/04/2021.
Gallagher, Alex. “Canine Parvovirus.” MSD, 09/2024.
Decaro, N. Buonavoglia, C. Barrs, VR. “Canine parvovirus vaccination and immunization failures: Are we far from disease eradication?” PubMed, 15/06/2020.
Decaro, N. et.al. “Severe parvovirus in a 12-year-old dog that had been repeatedly vaccinated.” 09/05/2009.
Dobias, Peter. “Safer Vaccination Protocol in Adult Dogs and Puppies.” Peter Dobias.
Kelman, M. et.al. “Canine parvovirus prevention and prevalence: Veterinarian perceptions and behaviors.” Science Direct, 01/2020.
Jewel, Rhonda. “Parvovirus Treatment In Puppies.” Holistic Pet Care, 01/09/2021.
Homeopathic Nosodes for Dogs. Holistic Pet Care.
PAXAID®. Amber Naturalz.
Luna’s passion for learning about canine psychology and behavior began when she adopted a severely reactive puppy from a local shelter. She is now a big advocate for positive reinforcement and compassionate training. As a writer, she strives to spotlight the topics that fly under the radar and be the voice for all who cannot speak for themselves.
