10 September 2011
Parvaid Alternative
Posted by Rae and Mark under: Health .
When it comes to Parvo treatment at home, one product has been at the forefront more or less since it was first launched back in 1997: Parvaid.
There have been a few competing products over the years, including ParvoGuard (which was removed from the market a few years ago when it was closed down by the FDA), and Parvo-K (a homeopathic product that is of dubious benefit, in our opinion, and which comes with very confusing instructions).
So Parvaid has sort of become the de facto standard when treating Parvo at home.
But does it still deserve its reputation today?
We believe not, and here are a few reasons why.
Increasing Virulence Of Parvo
The Parvo strains that are around today, most notably the 2c strain, are much more aggressive than those of five or ten years ago.
Obviously, no strain of the Parvovirus is good, but the older 2a and 2b strains were relatively easy to treat compared to the newer 2c strain.
What this means is that, while Parvaid used to be effective in treating this virus, this has not been the case since 2007, when we first started selling this product.
To cope with the ever-worsening Parvo virus, we continued to add products one by one, until we finally ended up with a Parvo Treatment Kit (our Gold Value Pack) that contained Parvaid and four other products (i.e. Vibactra Plus, Life Cell Support, Pet’s Pain Formula and Adizone).
Long after we created this Gold Value Pack, the manufacturer, Amber Technology, themselves required re-sellers and distributors to sell this same combination of products (although they have never enforced this policy, and still don’t – even on their own websites).
In an attempt to keep pace with Parvo, they have actually increased the required doses from 63, when we used to sell their products, to 79 (as far as we can tell from their confusing website).
If you look around for reviews of Parvaid today, you’ll find that people are not having the success they once were – either because they didn’t buy the full set of products you actually need these days, or because they didn’t administer the products correctly (probably because of the confusing and different versions of the dosage instructions).
Parvaid Cost
Following on from the previous section, the fact that 79 (or more) doses are required has a knock-on effect on the cost of treating your dog.
With the older instructions, 63 doses per dog meant you could treat a dog up to 100lbs in weight with a single bottle.
However, at 79 doses, you can now only treat a dog that weighs 20lbs or less.
This information is not made clear on any of the websites we checked out, including Amber Technology’s own site.
The net result of this is not only that you will probably need more than one bottle of Parvaid, thus doubling the cost (although by itself, of course, it’s still not strong enough to deal with the 2c strain), but you may also find that you buy one bottle, and then, part way through the treatment, realise you need a second bottle (or more).
Breaks in treatment like this are not good, and can, at worst, cause major setbacks (or worse).
And, of course, if you buy all of the products that Amber Technology recommend, the cost will be well over $100 USD – more like $150 (or more), before shipping.
So, while you may think you can get away with one bottle of Parvaid, for $45 or so (plus shipping), your bill may be a lot larger than you think.
Trying to make do with just one bottle of Parvaid (assuming that one bottle is enough to treat your dog) really is a false economy, so why gamble with your dog’s life?
Parvaid Ingredients
Something else that we don’t like about Parvaid, and which we did raise with Amber Technology on several occasions, are two of the ingredients, namely, garlic and ethyl alcohol.
Garlic is known to be toxic to dogs, and in our own extensive experience can cause additional vomiting and diarrhea. Given that these are two of the most common symptoms of Parvo, we don’t believe in giving anything to a dog that will make matters worse, not better.
Alcohol is also toxic, even in small quantities, as dogs (and cats) simply don’t have the means to process it correctly.
However, it gets worse than that – if your dog has liver or pancreas problems, alcohol can be fatal.
Amber Technology claim that the quantities of both these ingredients are too small to cause any problems, but like we said, why take chances?
In the case of alcohol, Amber Technology do publish a very cryptic warning on their site about this risk, and what you can do about it, but it’s so badly-worded that most dog owners probably won’t understand what it means, if they even see it, and on almost every other website we checked out, there is absolutely no mention of this problem.
You also have to bear in mind that dogs may have liver or pancreas issues that are, as yet, undiagnosed, so you may be giving your dog alcohol, as part of Parvaid, that could prove fatal.
So, Is There A Parvaid Alternative?
We’re glad you asked!
In a word, yes – ParvoBuster is now proud to offer its own Parvo Treatment Kits.
We had always wanted our own ParvoBuster-branded Parvovirus treatment products, and with the increasing number of problems with Parvaid (and the other products in this range), as well as major issues with Amber Technology themselves, we had little choice but to break our ties with them and look for somebody else that could provide what we needed and with whom we could develop a trusted working partnership.
We were pleased to find a Board Certified Master Herbalist to formulate what we needed, which is why we are now in a position to offer two different kits.
Firstly, we have the ParvoBuster Viral Smack-Down Kit, which comprises 2 x 4oz. bottles, as well as our unique (as in, nobody else offers anything like this) and comprehensive step-by-step Parvo Treatment Guide, which tells you all you need to know about how to treat Parvo at home (e.g. a full shopping list of what else you’ll need, recipes, dosage information, trouble-shooting help, after-care information and more).
This kit will treat up to 50 dogs, depending on their weight, and will typically cost around $200 USD (including FedEx Priority Overnight shipping).
Secondly, we have our ParvoBuster All-In-One Parvo Formula For Dogs, which comprises 1 x 2oz. bottle, again, with our Parvo Treatment Guide.
This smaller kit will treat up to 25 dogs, based on their weight, and the cost, including FedEx Priority Overnight shipping, tends to be around $100 USD.
So, how do you know which kit you’ll need?
The first, larger kit is specifically designed for dogs who:
- have been vaccinated within the past two to four weeks
- have been dewormed with the past two to four weeks
- have worms or other parasites
- have a weakened immune system or are generally sickly
- need a detox (which is recommended twice a year anyway)
If your dog meets any of the above criteria, then we strongly recommend you get the ParvoBuster Viral Smack-Down Kit.
However, if none of those criteria apply to your dogs, then the smaller ParvoBuster All-In-One Parvo Formula For Dogs will be ample for your needs.
To find out exactly what you need for your dogs, we have a Product Calculator – simply tell us about all of your dogs (even the healthy ones, regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated or are showing symptoms or not, as they may still get the virus) and we’ll tell you exactly how much of these products you’ll need – although a single kit will be sufficient in most cases.
You’ll then be able to select which of the above two Parvaid alternatives you want and check out safely using our secure payment processor.
And don’t forget, as soon as you’ve completed your order, you should download your copy of the Parvo Treatment Guide – treatment begins immediately, and not just when your products are delivered!
