Parvo is transmitted by contact with bodily fluid of an infected animal. The virus is very strong and hardy. It can withstand many cleaning agents and fluctuations in temperature. Parvo can survive in the environment for as long as six months. It is because of this fact that it can be brought on to the premises on hands, shoes, car tires or anything else.
Parvo affects dogs of any age, but is most devastating to puppies less than five months of age.
The incubation period for this disease is seven to fourteen days, and the first symptoms are loss of appetite and lethargy. The dog then starts vomiting, followed by bloody diarrhea, high fever, and a drop in the white blood cell count. There is no cure for parvo and the only treatment available is for the symptoms. Also like parvovirus, the primary mode of transmission involves ingestion after environmental contamination with the stool of an infected dog. Due to the prevalence of antibodies against the virus, it is believed that most adult dogs have been exposed to the virus, even if they have never shown signs of the disease.