Parvo outbreak nothing to sniff at

[bigdoglover]

The Chronicle Herald


AS YOU PROBABLY HEARD last week, there’s been an outbreak of the potentially fatal canine parvovirus in the Halifax region and the Annapolis Valley.

Parvo can be deadly, especially to puppies, which is why it’s vitally important for everyone with a puppy or an adult dog to make sure their pooch has been vaccinated against this virus. If you think your little guy/girl/it has contracted parvo, get to the vet immediately.

It attacks the dog’s intestinal tract and can be transmitted through the feces and vomit of infected dogs and puppies, according to a Nova Scotia SPCA news release. Humans or cats cannot contract this particular strain of parvo, but it is easily carried on human hands, clothing or shoes to dogs, who can then be infected.

"An unusually large number" of cases have been found in Halifax Regional Municipality and Kings and Annapolis counties, according to the SPCA.

SPCA spokeswoman Judith Gass says the infected puppies known to the shelter were bought at Pets Unlimited in Dartmouth’s Burnside Business Park and from a woman in Digby known as Gail who sells puppies through newspaper ads and at the roadside, often delivering them to customers in parking lots. The SPCA can’t say for sure yet whether these two places are the root of the pups’ sickness.

"The incubation period (for parvo) is usually five to seven days after exposure," according to the provincial shelter, although incubation could be from three to 12 days.

"Symptoms usually begin with a high fever, lethargy, depression, loss of appetite, and vomiting. Secondary symptoms appear as severe gastrointestinal distress, such as bloody diarrhea. In many cases, dehydration, shock, and death follow."

You got that, people? How would you like to bring home a new puppy, have him go through that and possibly infect other dogs in the house or the neighbourhood?

Then stop buying pets from pet stores and unregistered breeders (especially people you don’t even know) who sell animals at the side of the road and refuse to provide you any breeding papers or written guarantee of their health or who their parents are.

I’d love to see the day when businesses and people who sell sick puppies or kittens are shut down for good.

And the best way to do that is for regular people like us to stop buying from them. You don’t have to sign a petition, go to a protest or donate money. In fact, it’s the easiest and cheapest thing you’ll ever do. That is, nothing.

Save your money and make your time worthwhile. If you want a cat or a dog for your family, there are loads of shelters and rescue groups out there aching to find good homes for their perfectly lovable cats, dogs and other animals.

You can usually get an animal from a shelter or rescue group for $100 or less and you’ll know that they’ve been vaccinated, fixed and given a clean bill of health.

Having said that, if you’ve bought a puppy anywhere in Nova Scotia in the last six weeks with a confirmed diagnosis of parvo, the SPCA would like to hear from you at (902) 835-4798 or at animals@spcans.ca.

They don’t want to put you in jail (they can’t anyway). They just want to ask you some questions about where you got your pup, so they can trace the parvo and try to stop its spread.