Good morning Everyone and Happy 2015 to you and your pets There has been a fair amount of panic and confusion about Canine Parvovirus (also known as catflu,although it only affects dogs)in the last few days. Here are some comments about the disease which I hope may help. 1)Parvovirus is a potentially deadly disease and is one of the most important diseases to vaccinate your dogs against.PLEASE CONTINUE TO VACCINATE YOUR DOGS,ESPECIALLY PUPPIES 2)Adequate vaccination will protect most dogs.However there have been some incidents(though these are NOT common)of Parvovirus occurring in vaccinated dogsSometimes these are due to new strains developing..Generally,the disease will be milder and more treatable in vaccinated dogs 3)Parvovirus has been around for many years.It is not a new disease.It can survive for a long time in the environment,Potentially one could pick the virus up on ones shoe from ANYWHERE.(the disease is spread through the infected dogs faeces) 4)The presenting symptoms of Parvovirus USUALLY include vomiting,diarrhoea(typically bloody and very foul-smelling),fever,weakness,loss of appetite.However,NOT all dogs with these symptoms will have parvovirus. 5)All vets know how to treat gastro-enteritis and all vets know how to treat and diagnose Parvovirus.If your dog shows any of these symptoms,please get to your vet as soon as possible. 6)In summary then,VACCINATE your dogs against Parvovirus,avoid your dogs contact with other dogs faeces(though this is easier said than done),avoid areas where the disease is rife or where there are many unvaccinated dogs,PLEASE PICK UP YOUR DOGS POO,wash your hands after contact with strange dogs,pay attention to the nature of your dogs faeces and if these are abnormal,espcially if they are bloody,please speak to your vet. Thanks for reading.I hope this is helpful in staving off the current waves of misinformation that are circulating.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 05:22:21 +0000