Since the start of the New Year, the Animal Welfare Society of SA has seen an explosion in the number of dogs testing positive for Parvovirus. They evaluated the reasons for this worrying increase and concluded that it is due to pet owners not vaccinating their pets either at all or on an infrequent basis.
“By way of comparison in FY 2015/16 we vaccinated 11 316 dogs and cats and saw fewer cases of dogs presenting with dread diseases. Last year we vaccinated a mere 4 443 pets. 3 092 of these were dogs and puppies”, says the Animal Welfare Society of SA.
This drastic decline represents a staggering year-on-year decrease and massive concomitant jump in pet mortalities due to pet owners failing to bother to have their pets vaccinated.
This neglect is costing pets lives and animal welfare organisations (like AWS SA) thousands of rands in treatment costs – for a disease that is vaccine preventable!
Prevention is always better than cure (in fact there is no cure for certain dread diseases) and the Animal Welfare Society of SA would like to remind all pet owners that they have a duty of care towards their pets and use this opportunity to once again reinforce the critical need for all pets to be vaccinated on a pro-active basis.
“Regrettably far too many pet owners appear to choose to ignore our numerous appeals and educational articles to the detriment of their pets and without considering how much of a strain this places on animal shelters and the nursing professionals who have to deal with these tragic cases on a wholesale basis”, further added the Animal Welfare Society of SA.
Over the Festive season, the Animal Welfare Society of SA saw 80 puppies and dogs with Parvovirus. They only managed to save a few, while the vast majority were too sick and succumbed to this awful virus.
A lot of pet owners appear oblivious to the risks of keeping an unvaccinated pet and frequently tell the Animal Welfare Society of SA that their pets never leave their property so why should they invest in a vaccination – until they learn how the virus is transmitted and how robust and deadly it is.
Unvaccinated dogs poop out millions of virus particles in each bowel movement. Virus particles are very stable in the soil and can withstand extreme temperature fluctuations.
Virus particles present in soil can remain active for years. Unvaccinated puppies or dogs who walk on contaminated soil are known to lick their paws (afterwards) and ingest the virus.
If a puppy or dog displays any of the below symptoms then the chances are very likely that they have contacted Parvovirus and need immediate veterinary care:
Symptoms:
- Vomiting (watery, foamy or slimy).
- Diarrhoea (often bloody and foul smelling).
- Loss of appetite.
- Listless or depressed.
- Dull or glassy eyed stare.
Prevention:
Puppies need a series of vaccinations to boost their immune system, and adult dogs need annual vaccinations to maintain immunity. If your pet needs to be vaccinated there is no need to make an appointment. For further help or advise please call (021) 692 2626 or e mail [email protected].
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Picture: Supplied