Parvo in dogs

Question
Our dog as a puppy had parvo and survived. Does he have a natural immunity or will he still need the vaccine. I have had 2 different vets give me a yes and a no. Anyone know of any studies? Thanks Jeanine

Answer
Hi Jeanine,

I apologize for the delay in answering!

I don't know of any studies specific to canine parvovirus, but there is ample information and research on the function of the immune system, which shows that if a body develops antibodies to a virus (either through vaccination or natural infection), it will generally have lifelong immunity to that virus.  (Assuming the immune system is functioning properly; some immune-compromised individuals may not have this lifelong immunity.)  

Serum and challenge studies with parvovirus in dogs have shown that vaccination at or after 12 weeks of age provides immunity for at least seven years in the majority of dogs (and probably longer, but the studies ended at seven years) - natural infection would be expected to have a similar effect.  You can have a titer test run to see what his antibody levels are, but a low titer does not necessarily mean he is not protected.  (There is more information on titer testing here: http://www.caberfeidh.com/Titers.htm )

If you want to dig further for published studies, www.pubmed.com is the place to start.

Hope this helps!

~Jennifer