Systemic inflammatory response syndrome: a risk factor associated with poor prognosis of dogs infected with canine parvovirus

Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) is a highly contagious enteric virus that causes high morbidity and mortality, especially in dogs under six months of age. Recovery from this illness is dependent on several factors, including the patient's prognosis for adequate therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors associated with the death outcome in CPV-2 positive dogs in a case-control study conducted at the Veterinary Hospital of the Universidade Federal de Lavras (HV-UFLA) in Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Twenty-six dogs with CPV-2 symptoms that arrived at the HV-UFLA between 2017 and 2018 were evaluated for inclusion in the study. Data on medical history, clinical signs, blood count and rapid test of parvovirus and faecal test for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were collected for all the animals. All the dogs received treatment at the HV-UFLA, and the overall fatality rate due to canine parvovirus was 30.77%. Descriptive analysis and univariate and multivariate statistical analyses (logistic regression) were performed to assess the variables that were possibly associated with an unfavourable prognosis (death). In the univariate and multivariate analyses, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) was observed to be a significant risk factor for an unfavourable prognosis in canine parvovirus, as it increased the risk of death by 12.96 times (95% CI 1.85-133.70; P < 0.01) compared with patients who did not exhibit SIRS. Thus, SIRS was strongly associated with an unfavourable prognosis, suggesting that it can be used as a prognostic indicator for canine parvovirus in veterinary practice.