Over the last few months there has been a worrying rise in the number of cases of Parvovirus in dogs. Parvovirus can be a horrible disease, often affecting young puppies but also seen in adult and aged dogs. It is very difficult to treat as there is no cure and often entire litters are affected. What makes Parvovirus such a worry is that it can survive in the environment for a very long time.
It is a disease I have seen many times and always causes much distress within the veterinary team. I would urge people to make sure their dogs are up to date with the vaccine to stop it spreading, just as the coronavirus vaccine has proven to do, these vaccines stop the virus shedding in the environment.
The signs of parvovirus are diarrhoea, often with blood in, lethargy, a high temperature and inappetence. The virus causes a rapid deterioration and can also affect the heart leading to heart failure.
We advise not to walk puppies until they are fully vaccinated even if they do not meet other dogs. It is also important to check when buying a puppy that the mother is vaccinated as this will give some protection in the early weeks. Collectively as an increasing dog owning population, we can control this virus through vaccination and save lives. The more dogs we get vaccinated the lower the risks in our local environment, we would be very grateful if you could help us stop the spread!
Lucy Travers BVSc CertAVP MRCVS Highfields Vets