Cookie was one of the first puppies to receive Elanco Animal Health Incorporated’s new medical treatment for canine parvovirus
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The future is looking brighter for the world’s puppies.
Elanco Animal Health Incorporated recently introduced a medical treatment for canine parvovirus, a condition that affects thousands of puppies yearly and has a 91% mortality rate when left untreated.
“Canine parvovirus really is a devastating condition for puppies. It’s one of the most deadly and contagious viruses that impacts dogs. Canine parvovirus primarily attacks the gastrointestinal tract or the gut of puppies that are either not vaccinated or not completely through their vaccine series. It causes destruction to the gut, leading to vomiting, diarrhea, and shock — and sometimes, in severe cases, we can see bacteria from the gut transferred to the bloodstream that can lead to sepsis, which can be life-threatening,” Dr. Jennifer Miller, a technical veterinarian with Elanco, tells PEOPLE.
Despite being a health issue that has plagued U.S. puppies for over 40 years, Elanco’s treatment, which uses monoclonal antibodies, is the first medical treatment for the condition, according to the company.
“This virus is really devastating to puppies because it causes severe illness. It’s devastating to vet clinics because these are intensive cases that often require management in isolation to prevent infection in other dogs. And it’s also really intensive to the pet’s family. You’ve got this new puppy, everybody falls in love, and now this puppy has developed this severe illness, and you don’t know if this puppy’s going to survive,” Dr. Miller adds.
Before the use of monoclonal antibodies, the treatment for parvo relied on “managing the clinical signs” of the conditions, per Dr. Andrew Cabrera, the chief medical director of The Fix Project, an animal hospital in Long Beach, California, with a nonprofit parvo clinic.
“We need to maintain their blood sugar level. We also need to prevent secondary bacterial infections because as their white blood cells start losing the battle or get depleted, we see the sepsis start to take effect,” he says of how he cared for puppies with parvo before this new treatment. “So symptomatic treatment like antibiotics, syringe feedings, and massaging their belly to help move things along.”
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“We were just trying to get these guys through the viral infection. There’s been nothing on the market before this that attacks the virus directly. So, we’re just providing supportive care to these puppies as they fight the viral infection and hope to give them enough tools to get them through that infection. And really, the treatment is changing that because this is the first and only USDA conditionally approved product to fight the virus directly,” Dr. Miller adds.
The monoclonal antibodies treatment is a single injection given to puppies after they test positive for parvo.
“How it works is it is a monoclonal antibody, and it targets the parvovirus and stops it before it enters into the puppy’s gut cells. So, it’s going to stop that virus and stop the virus’s destruction of the body. When we did some of our study work with this product, we saw that zero dogs died when they received the treatment in the face of parvo infection,” Dr. Miller says of Elanco’s new treatment, adding that it helps puppies get home faster.
Cookie the puppy knows firsthand how the monoclonal antibodies treatment can help a dog with parvo. She was one of the first little dogs to receive the treatment.
The tiny pup received the treatment at The Fix Project’s parvo clinic, where she tested positive for the virus after presenting clinical signs.
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“We gave the injection, placed the catheter, and gave her the rest of our protocol. And the beautiful part about the drug was we had her in and out. We parvo tested her on a Friday, and she came back strong positive. By Sunday, she was eating. And then by Monday, we parvo tested her, and she was going home that day,” Dr. Cabrera says of Cookie’s success.
Cookie’s speedy recovery from parvo is healing for Dr. Cabrera, who regularly helps puppies with parvo, as well.
“I hate losing. If I’m taking that money, I want to fix the pet. I want them to go home, and I want a good story,” he says, adding, “A side effect of this treatment is good work-life balance. It makes it easier for our team. We’re not as worried. We’re not as stressed about these puppies passing away, and we’re getting them home quicker.”
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Dr. Miller says she has heard other vets express similar confidence about Elanco’s monoclonal antibodies treatment.
“We really think that this product will give veterinarians the tools to be able to fight the virus, stop it, and boost their confidence in how they approach this devastating disease. Because, as we’ve mentioned before, the outcomes before were not very certain. You could still go into this with intensive care and not have a puppy that made it,” she adds.
Dr. Miller and Dr. Cabrera hope news of this treatment soothes dog owners’ concerns about their dogs getting ill with the condition. Still, both stress that vaccinating puppies against parvovirus is the best way to protect canines.
“The main thing I want people to take away is vaccinate our puppies,” Dr. Cabrera says.
