8 Common Puppy Illnesses and How to Avoid Them

As an experienced dog breeder, I can offer general information about common puppy illnesses, but the best way to care for your fur babies is to work closely with a licensed veterinarian that you trust!

Remember, this topic is scary to read about! Lots of “worst case scenario” vibes.

The common thread that saves puppies from the worst conditions is simply to:

1. Vaccinate at the appropriate age,
   • Check out AKC’s recommended vaccination schedule here
2. Protect the puppies from exposure to unvaccinated animals or places where unvaccinated animals may go,
   • that means no dog parks,
   • no groomers,
   • at the vet- keep the puppy off the ground,
   • don’t socialize with unvaccinated dogs,
   • be careful when traveling to deliver a pup to her forever family, etc.
3. Go to the vet at first signs/symptoms,
4. Maintain sanitary conditions
   • in the puppy area,
   • in your home,
   • and even in simply washing your hands often,
5. Know how to respond to diarrhea (since this is a common symptom of disease but can also be caused by simple things like stress or overeating- Follow this link for detailed information).

Simple steps prevent heartache in most cases!

Here are our 8 common puppy illnesses…. and tips on how to keep your fur babies safe!

#1- Parvovirus

Often referred to as Parvo, this virus is highly contagious and infects the stomach and intestines. It is deadly.

You’ll see vomiting, diarrhea, fever, low energy level, loss of appetite. The pup will fade quickly, get dehydrated, lose weight, and often pass away in the first 3-4 days.

If a pup survives the first few days, they could pull through with intensive vet care.

The scariest part is this: after the virus has contact with any surface (such as your yard, the carpet in your home, a dog toy, the vet’s table if not disinfected, etc.), it can survive there for an extended period of time- up to 1 year!

Here’s how to keep your pups safe:

1. You can never guarantee that any place outside of your home is safe for your puppies, so it is recommended to keep them at home to minimize accidental exposure.
2. Parvo is often spread through contaminated feces, so be especially careful that your pups do not smell, lick, or eat poop from other dogs.
3. Disinfect your home and puppy areas often. There are ways to disinfect to kill the virus, but it is incredibly difficult to eliminate every possible point of contamination (especially outside of your home).
4. Vaccinate your pups at the appropriate age to decrease the chances of illness (as young as 6 weeks).
5. Puppies should only socialize with fully vaccinated dogs- preferably only your own dogs because you can verify your own dogs’ vaccination status 100%. I once spoke to a woman who claimed that her dog was 100% vaccinated, but she did not realize that yearly boosters were required. She had her dog fully vaccinated as a pup but had not kept up on yearly boosters for over 8 years! She didn’t know, but her dog could have infected my property and put my pups at risk.
6. Educate your puppies’ forever families so that they understand how to avoid illness until the pup has completed 3 rounds of vaccinations.

If you think your pup may have parvo, call ahead to the vet because they will likely have you wait in the car to prevent spread of the disease. It is likely that the entire litter could be infected

#2 Influenza

This is like a doggy flu and is caused by an airborne virus- meaning it is spread by an infected dog’s coughs, sneezes, barking, or breathing. The virus can be spread through direct contact as well, meaning an item or person who has come into contact with the sick dog could spread the germs to other dogs.

Influenza is often spread in crowded dog areas- dog parks, groomers, doggy day care, kennels, etc.

Puppies don’t usually die from this illness but may need vet care. If the dog gets pneumonia, the illness is more serious.

You will see respiratory symptoms including labored breathing, sneezing, coughing, runny nose and eyes, fever, and low energy level. A vet can provide medication to help the puppies be more comfortable or to decrease symptoms, but there is no actual cure to influenza.

The best ways to help a puppy with influenza are:

1. Keep your puppies at your own home, especially if they are not fully vaccinated (which is usually the case for a young litter),
2. Don’t allow other dogs to visit the home while the litter is young and susceptible,
3. Never take under-vaccinated puppies to a dog park, groomer, or doggie daycare,
4. Wash your hands after coming into contact with any other dog, and
5. Educate your puppies’ forever families so that they understand how to avoid illness until the pup has completed 3 rounds of vaccinations.

#3 Kennel Cough

Kennel Cough is an airborne disease that affects a dog’s breathing and respiration. It is also very contagious.

You’ll see coughing, runny nose, fever, low energy level, sneezing, and avoiding food.

A vet can prescribe a cough suppressant to help the puppy, as well as an antibiotic to help the avoid pneumonia. It is likely that the medication will be prescribed for the entire litter since kennel cough is so contagious.

How can you help your puppies avoid kennel cough?

1. Since the illness can be avoided by appropriate vaccinations, be sure to vaccinate puppies against Kennel Cough at the appropriate age (Bordetella vaccination can be given as young as 6 weeks old and can save lives!),
2. Puppies should only socialize with fully vaccinated dogs- preferably only your own dogs because you can verify your own dogs’ vaccination status 100%,
3. Never take under-vaccinated puppies to a dog park, groomer, or doggie daycare,
4. Wash your hands after coming into contact with any other dog,
5. Disinfect your home and puppy areas often.

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#4 Distemper

This is a scary one.

Distemper is an awful virus that affects the nervous system and quickly spreads to many systems in the body. It can be fatal and is highly contagious (as it is an airborne virus).

Symptoms can change from case to case, but the two consistent stages of the illness include:

Stage 1: fever, runny nose, milky eye discharge, low energy level, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, and inflammation- especially in the spine and brain.

Stage 2: convulsions, head tilted to the side, paralysis, seizures, walking in circles, rapid eye movements, and death.

A vet can provide medication to decrease the symptoms. There is no cure, but some dogs do survive. The illness can resolve in 10 days, or last for months.

In order to protect your litter of puppies, follow these steps:

1. Vaccinate puppies against Distemper at the appropriate age (as young as 6 weeks),
2. Puppies should only socialize with fully vaccinated dogs- preferably only your own dogs because you can verify your own dogs’ vaccination status 100%,
3. Avoid kennels, doggie day care, groomers, etc. until the pups are fully vaccinated,
4. Wash your hands and maintain sanitary puppy areas,
5. Am I starting to sound like a broken record? Hahaha It’s amazing that the same steps can prevent so many illnesses! No wonder they are important!

#5 Parasites

Perhaps one of the most difficult puppy illnesses to avoid- almost impossible to avoid in fact. But simple to treat!

Parasites such as worms are very common- in fact, most puppies get some kind of parasite at some point.

There are many different kinds, and various deworming medication attack different species of parasites. Some dewormers can attack many varieties at once.

A puppy may get parasites through mom’s milk, from infected poop, from dirty water, contaminated dirt, or from other animals. This is why they are nearly impossible to avoid. In a group setting, like a litter of puppies, once one pup has a parasite- it quickly spreads to all the other puppies.

Symptoms can vary, but you might see: diarrhea, vomiting, blood in stool, or visible worms in the puppy’s poop. More intense cases could have: bloated tummies, weight loss, dehydration, low energy level, and malnourishment.

Most breeders deworm every 2 weeks as a preventative measure using a dewormer that attacks many species of parasites at once.

If you notice signs of worms, a vet can help you cure them. Bring the vet a sample of poop in a plastic bag (don’t forget to double bag that nastiness- I learned from personal experience). The vet can conduct a fecal float to identify exactly what parasite you are dealing with and prescribe the best dewormer to solve the problem. Be sure to treat the entire litter- they will all be exposed.

Most of the time, if the puppy has a known infestation, it will take several days in a row of deworming to completely eliminate the worms.

****Wash your hands well after interacting with the puppies, especially if they are known to carry parasites, as most parasites are communicable to humans.

Sorry, I don’t have a list on how to avoid parasites- they are just EVERYWHERE! It is best to give preventative deworming as advised by your vet and treat quickly if there is an infestation.

#6 Leptospirosis

This infection is usually passed by spreading bacteria from an infected animal’s urine. It can contaminate water or soil, bedding, or really anything that encounters the urine.

bacteria attack the dog’s kidneys and liver. You could see: yellow in the dog’s eyes/skin, blood in pee or poop, swelling due to fluid buildup, shivering, loss of appetite, low energy level, muscles may be sore, peeing often, dehydration and diarrhea despite drinking more often than normal, vomiting, and fever.

In order to confirm the illness,a vet can check your dog’s hepatic values (liver) and renal values (kidney) to see if they are elevated or vet can run bloodwork to check for the Leptospirosis bacteria in your dog’s blood or urine.

Higher risk areas include: wet and warm areas, including areas with lots of rain or flooding OR being around a stagnant water source, especially if there are animals nearby such as cows, rodents, possums, raccoons, etc.

How can we avoid scary Lepto?

1. Vaccinate puppies against Leptospirosis at the appropriate age,
2. Puppies should only socialize with fully vaccinated dogs- preferably only your own dogs because you can verify your own dogs’ vaccination status 100%,
3. Avoid kennels, doggie day care, groomers, etc. until the pups are fully vaccinated,
4. Wash your hands and maintain sanitary puppy areas,
5. Here goes the broken record AGAIN… but seriously, simple precautions protect against so many illnesses!

Leptospirosis can be transferred to humans, so be careful!

#7 Adenovirus

Another scary- and deadly- one. Buckle up!

Adenovirus causes canine hepatitis, which harms the liver (type 1) or the respiratory system (type 2).

The virus can live on contaminated surfaces or in an animal- meaning it can be spread through contact with infected toys/bedding/yard/home, from infected urine/poop, or from contact with the animal. A dog can carry the virus for 6 months after recovering from the illness.

You might see: low energy level, low appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, a milky look to the eyes, bleeding in mouth/gums, convulsions/seizure activity, paralysis and fast heart rate. Survival rate is low.

Blood or urine testing can identify the virus in the pup. Go to the vet at first sign of fever. The vet may provide antibiotics, an IV, and/or blood transfusions.

To best avoid adenovirus, follow these steps:

1. Vaccinate puppies against Adenovirus at the appropriate age,
2. Go to the vet at first symptoms of a fever for early treatment,
3. Puppies should only socialize with fully vaccinated dogs- preferably only your own dogs because you can verify your own dogs’ vaccination status 100%,
4. Maintain proper hygiene and sanitation in your puppy area, home, and in washing hands.
5. Avoid kennels, doggie day care, groomers, etc. until the pups are fully vaccinated.

#8 Rabies

I suddenly have an urge to watch “Old Yeller”.

Rabies is a virus that passes through saliva and attacks the nervous system/brain. It is very fatal.

A bite from an animal carrying rabies will transmit the illness. Rabies cannot survive for long outside of a living host, which makes transmission through surfaces less likely.

It is very unlikely that an animal will survive once the symptoms set in, so treat early if one of your dogs is bitten. Symptoms include a progression in 3 stages:

Stage 1- restless, shy, hide from people, lick the wound, may growl or bark at people or objects.

Stage 2- Aggression and attacking others, dilated pupils, seizures, no fear, does not recognize owners anymore.

Stage 3- Unable to close mouth, lots of salivating, paralysis leading to death. The whole process takes around 7 days.

Once symptoms show, it is almost 100% likely that the dog will pass away. Prevention is key. Here’s how:

1. Vaccinate against rabies at the appropriate age (usually around 16 weeks old).
2. Keep dogs away from strays or wild animals. If your dog is bitten, go to the vet immediately.
3. Puppies should only socialize with fully vaccinated dogs- preferably only your own dogs because you can verify your own dogs’ vaccination status 100%.
4. Avoid kennels, doggie day care, groomers, etc. until the pups are fully vaccinated.

Rabies is communicable to humans.

Prevention is VERY Possible

I can’t possibly cover all the potential illnesses, and it’s too depressing to keep writing about! But there is a silver lining- most of these things are totally preventable through basic care practices.

I know I’ve said it again and again, but just one more reminder:

1. Vaccinate at the appropriate age,
2. Protect the puppies from exposure to unvaccinated animals or places where unvaccinated animals may go,
   • that means no dog parks,
   • no groomers,
   • at the vet- keep the puppy off the ground,
   • don’t socialize with unvaccinated dogs,
   • be careful when traveling to deliver a pup to her forever family, etc.
3. Go to the vet at first signs/symptoms,
4. Maintain sanitary conditions
   • in the puppy area,
   • in your home,
   • and even in simply washing your hands often,
5. Know how to respond to diarrhea (since this is a common symptom of disease but can also be caused by simple things like stress or overeating- Follow this link for detailed information).

Simple steps prevent heartache in most cases!

For more health tips, check out our Whelping Kit- Helping families raise puppies from BEFORE the birth through 12 weeks old!