[Ten years of clinical experiences with canine parvovirus infection CPV-2 infection)]

Clinical and laboratory data of 205 dogs with acute canine parvovirus infection were collected. Seventy-six of these dogs underwent 179 clinical reexaminations. Parvovirus infection can be clinically diagnosed if there are typical gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, diarrhoea) in combination with a leucopenia of under 4000 cells/microliters and/or a rise in antibody titer of two degrees or more. In typical parvovirus infection a distinct hyperthermia often precedes vomiting and diarrhoea. The characteristic fall in leucocyte concentration is rapid and most marked between the 3rd and 5th day of the disease. In some cases virus-induced encephalitis and moderate coincident involvement of the cardiac muscle were seen. Secondary bacterial infections of subcutaneous tissue and lungs as well as invaginations are important complications. Surviving dogs will not necessarily have digestive problems later. Therapeutical considerations are discussed.