A contagious and potentially deadly virus found in puppies and dogs has been confirmed in the metro region.
Sunrise Animal hospital took to Facebook to warn that three cases of Canine Parvovirus, which attacks white blood cells and the intestinal systems of dogs, had been confirmed in the Mount Pearl Area.
Dr. Maggie Brown-Burry, an emergency veterinarian at the Veterinary Specialty Centre, says that while serious, the success rate is high if caught early, and that dogs that have been vaccinated for the disease are almost immune to it.
She says affected dogs need to “shed” the disease from their systems.
Parvo affects the whole lining of the intestine, which needs to be shed and then regrown. Because young puppies are usually affected, they have high nutritional needs that cannot be met so doctors need to support them through the process.
She says the main defence against Parvo is the vaccine, but it is also important to be careful of who your dog interacts with. She wouldn’t take a young dog to the dog park, for example, as an older dog may have the disease and pass it along to the pup.
Symptoms include lethargy, vomiting, fever, loss of appetite and bloody diarrhea. If you’re dog is experiencing these symptoms, you’re asked to take them to the nearest veterinary clinic.