SAN DIEGO — A San Diego animal center is celebrating a new state-of-the-art medical treatment for deadly parvovirus.

What You Need To Know

  • There is now a new state-of-the-art medical treatment for canine parvovirus

  • Duke was the first puppy at Helen Woodward Animal Center to receive the treatment

  • Parvo is an extremely contagious and deadly illness among dogs

  • The National Institute of Health found that 90% of puppies die from parvo if left untreated

Adopting a puppy is the highlight of the year for Jordan Cuban and her family.

“It’s been a great addition. He really brings the three kids that we have really close,” she said. “There’s not a lot of things that bring them all together. Duke kind of brings us all together.”

It was love at first sight when they saw Duke at Helen Woodward Animal Center.

But they soon learned there was something extra special about him. The terrier mix was given a second chance at life thanks to a state-of-the-art medical treatment.

Duke was diagnosed with the life-threatening illness of canine parvovirus — or parvo — when he first came to the shelter, lethargic and not eating. Veterinarians at Helen Woodward used a brand-new antibody treatment called Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody (CPMA) to save him.

Chief veterinarian Angela Dargitz said parvo is an extremely contagious and deadly illness among dogs, and the National Institute of Health found that 90% of puppies die from parvo if left untreated.

Treatment for parvo is expensive because they often need several days of around-the-clock care, which can involve antibiotics, blood transfusions and IV fluids.

Dargitz said the new CPMA synthetic antibody treatment directly attacks the parvovirus instead of just treating the symptoms, and in Duke’s case, healed him overnight. 

What You Need To Know

“Seeing his incredible turnaround gives me a lot of hope for the future for all of the puppies I hope don’t have to suffer,” Dargitz said.  

She said having the CPMA treatment will help protect animals in their care, like Sue and Sid, two littermates who also recently recovered from Parvo.

“In the shelter setting, there’s so many animals who experience this and usually we’re talking about volumes of litters, not just single puppies here and there,” Dargitz said. “Unfortunately, it’s usually 6-8 puppies who get it at a time because they’re all exposed and are in really close quarters. So it’s really difficult for the staff to treat, it’s emotionally exhausting and obviously the death toll of puppies is something we really strive to improve so this is something that will make a big impact in the first for years to come, I hope.”

Duke was the first puppy at Helen Woodward Animal Center to receive the treatment and Cuban is forever thankful it reached him in time.

“We have like a superhero dog,” she said. “He’s so neat, and he really is like that every day. He just brings us so much love and joy.”

According to the Helen Woodward, the new treatment had a 9-month waiting list. 

They say the current treatment option for parvo can cost between $3,000 and $8,000, but the new antibody treatment reduces that cost to only $200 a vial.