04/02/2025
Unfortunately we have seen canine Parvovirus this week.
It is really important we try to educate as many people as possible.
Here is a bit of information we hope will help:
Canine parvovirus ("Parvo") is a virus that causes severe gastroenteritis. Parvovirus is highly contagious, and can survive in the environment for long time periods. Dogs are infected when they smell or eat infected faeces, soil, insects, or other objects contaminated with the virus.
It is usually seen more around the humid/warmer months, when house flies can assist in the spread of the disease, and when there is a lot of rain/humidity or dust storms.
Clinical signs may start showing a week after initial infection - beginning with lethargy and inappetance and progressing to vomiting and diarrhoea. The diarrhoea is often profuse and bloody. Unfortunately clinical signs are not always specific to parvovirus, so a faecal test for antibody response to the infection is usually done to confirm diagnosis.
Treatment is crucial, as once dogs are affected the disease can be fatal. Dogs can become dehydrated, anaemic (blood loss), and septicaemic (infection spread to the bloodstream) – and treatment is targeted at correcting these abnormalities.
If your dog is in hospital, it is very important to decontaminate your house and yard as best as possible – please ask us for products and dilutions to use for disinfecting.
The good news is Parvovirus is a preventable disease through vaccination programs. Please check your vaccination cards, and if your puppy or young dog, even adult dog, is overdue, please get the vaccination course completed ASAP.
Please call the clinic for more information as well as vaccine prices and to book an appointment.
Please share and help our young puppies !
