Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors linked to death from canine parvovirus in Australia
By Ling, Monika et al.·Published in Veterinary microbiology·2012·The University of Sydney Faculty of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Risk factors for death from canine parvoviral-related disease in Australia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a significant number of dogs with canine parvovirus (CPV) died from the disease, particularly those under six months old and unvaccinated. In fact, 42.3% of reported cases resulted in death, with most affected dogs being less than a year old. The research highlighted that many of these dogs had been vaccinated but still contracted the virus, suggesting that the timing of vaccinations might need to be adjusted. The findings indicate that dogs diagnosed in summer and certain breeds, like hounds, were at higher risk of death from CPV.
People also search for: dog parvovirus symptoms · puppy vaccination schedule · why is my puppy sick after vaccination
Abstract
Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a highly contagious cause of serious and often fatal disease in dogs worldwide despite the availability of safe and efficacious vaccines. Although a number of studies have focussed on identifying risk factors in disease development, risk factors associated with death from CPV are largely unknown. In this study we analysed a total of 1451 CPV cases reported from an Australian surveillance system - using univariate and multivariate techniques - to determine significant risk factors associated with death and euthanasia. A crude case fatality rate of 42.3% was estimated - higher than has been reported previously. We found that 3.3% of CPV cases had a history of vaccination in the previous 12 months, despite having completed the primary puppy vaccination course. The majority (89.5%) of these cases occurred in dogs <12 months of age, indicating failure of the primary vaccination course to provide protective immunity (most likely due to interference of the vaccine antigen with maternal antibodies but other reasons are discussed). Extending the age at which the final puppy vaccination is administered might be one of several strategies to consider. The final multivariate model showed that in non-litter CPV cases, risk of death was significantly associated with season of diagnosis (summer) and pedigree type (hounds and non-sporting dogs). Euthanasia in non-litter CPV cases was significantly associated with season of diagnosis (summer), state of residence (Northern Territory/South Australia/Tasmania combined), age (<six months) and vaccination status (unvaccinated and unknown). No significant risk factors associated with death were identified in cases in which there was more than one puppy in a litter infected. The risk factors identified in this study can be used as prognostic indicators for veterinarians faced with CPV cases. The possible explanations for the associations identified and their clinical relevance to CPV case outcome are discussed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22424864/