For anyone who owns a dog and understands the worry and anxiety of having a sick dog, having a parvo test kit at hand could be a life-saver. That’s also an accurate description since early detection saves furry lives. But how accurate are at-home tests?
Let’s dig into the topic and find out.
How accurate are at-home kits?
Have you or anyone you know ever used a pregnancy test kit, got a positive, and never confirmed it with a doctor? If your answer is no, then you and your friends probably know that pregnancy kits are fairly accurate but not always.
It’s the same with parvo kits. They are comparatively accurate but if you get a positive result (or a negative but with parvo symptoms), you’d want a confirmation from the vet.
The only reason you should get at-home kits is so that you can start home treatment until you can visit the vet (which is hopefully soon).
Let’s talk about “false positive” and “false negative.”
False Positive Result
False positives may occur if your puppy received the parvo vaccine 4 to 14 days before the test. Recent vaccinations may cause the kit to detect the live virus and give a false reading even if there is no infection present.
Confirmatory laboratory testing should be made to aid diagnosis and for prompt clinical treatment.
False Negative Result
A false-negative result can also happen so you’re not completely out of the woods yet especially if your dog is showing symptoms.
This happens because the shedding of the virus in the feces can occur intermittently. It’s also possible that your dog is no longer shedding the virus even though it is still infected.
It is also likely that the virus particles are covered by antibodies so the kit cannot properly read it.
Can a vaccinated dog still get the parvovirus?
The scary answer is yes. An adult vaccinated dog can still get the virus. This is because the virus can mutate and thus have different strains. So it’s important to get a booster every year to keep your dogs’ immunity strong.
A puppy is generally protected from the virus about three months after birth if the dam is vaccinated.
What to do if your dog tests positive?
If your dog tests positive, the immediate thing to do is keep it hydrated. Ask your vet for oral solutions you can administer at home If you can’t get to your vet yet.
You can opt to treat your dog at home but your dog will have a higher chance of recovery in a vet hospital. Parvo is tough on dogs so if you decide to treat it at home, you have to be emotionally prepared that you might lose your dog to the virus.
If you have other dogs, you need to isolate your infected dog quickly. Parvo is so highly contagious that even if you haven’t had laboratory tests yet and it is still a suspicion, isolating your dog from others is wise and responsible.
Pregnancy also complicates it. It can lead to abortion, birth defects, and worst, infertility.
Early Detection Can Save Your Dog
Test kits not only can save you time and money, but they can also help you save your dog. At-home test kits are pretty accurate and can help you administer treatment immediately, as in the case of parvovirus.
If you’re breeding dogs, you have more reasons to keep parvo test kits handy at home.
For pregnancy tests and other breeding kits, check out MR D Quality Solutions. You can count on fast shipping and solid customer support. It’s your one-stop-shop for all your breeding needs.
