Parvo in Inverness

[carasmam]

http://www.highland-news.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/4445/Killer_dog_disease_strikes_in_city.html

Just to make dog owners aware of the symptoms, in case anyone is planning a run to Inverness with a dog who isn't vaccinated.
What a horrible way to lose a pet :~(

[justine]

planning a outing to anywhere without your dogs being vaccinated is asking for trouble. Many people would not have to worry about parvo if they simply got their dogs vaccinated.:roll:

Thanks for the warning.:)

[carasmam]

There are valid reasons for some dogs not being vaccinated, so thought it best to pass the message on anyway, :)

[justine]

Any chance you could enlighten me into Why some dogs are not vaccinated.

The parvovirus injections cause no ill effects, they are safe to be given to all dogs over the age of 8 weeks right up until the dogs last.

I am astonished to here that any dog owner does not have their animals vaccinated for this as its such a horrible diesease.Here is a quote from a canine parvovirus site and its horrendous what the dog must suffer, and becuase the owner has not had them vaccinated.

"

Cause: canine parvovirus

Infectivity: Spread through contact with the stool of infected puppies or dogs. Parvovirus can live in the environment for several weeks to months. Avoid areas in which many dogs defecate when walking puppies

Age/Sex/Breed Differences: Clinical illness is almost always confined to dogs less than 14 months of age. Beagles, rottweilers and doberman pinschers may be more susceptible than other breeds.

Symptoms:
Depression is usually the first sign of this illness. This is followed shortly by severe diarrhea and often vomiting. The diarrhea usually contains digested or partially digested blood giving it a pungent odor. Affected puppies often have very low white blood cell counts. Severe dehydration can occur rapidly with this illness.

Diagnosis: There are accurate tests for this virus in stool but there can be false positive results in recently vaccinated puppies, which is the case for most puppies in this age range. Depression, diarrhea and low white blood cell counts in a puppy are reason enough to treat as if parvovirus is present.

Treatment: Intravenous fluid therapy is the mainstay of treatment for this illness. Administration of serum and newer colloidal fluids along with traditional fluid therapy seems to help puppies survive. Antibiotics are necessary to prevent secondary bacterial illnesses. Since Clostridium species bacteria are a common secondary problem, amoxicillin and antibiotics with similar spectrum are often used.

Prognosis: Untreated puppies have an 80% fatality rate. In treated puppies the fatality rate hovers around 20% but seems to be improving with the use of colloidal fluids.
Prevention: Vaccinations remain the mainstay of prevention. Parvovirus is still capable of causing infection for several days prior to the time the vaccines can work to protect against the disease, though. For this reason, it is best to avoid areas that might be contaminated with parvovirus until after the puppy has received a vaccination at twelve weeks of age or older. It is recommended that vaccination start at 6 weeks of age and that puppies receive vaccinations at two to four week intervals until they are 12 to 16 weeks of age. We prefer to vaccinate at 6, 9 and 12 weeks for this virus but puppies with high exposure potential may have to be vaccinated more often.

Is not having a dog vaccinated worth all that.:~(

[carasmam]

I dont really have the time or inclination to get into a long winded pro/anti vaccination argument on here but since you asked I have copied and pasted this small bit from canismajor.com


.....

Vaccines come in two types: killed virus or bacterin and modified live virus or bacterin. The killed vaccines are mixed with an adjuvant to boost the effectiveness, and various adjuvants are suspected of causing problems. Killed vaccines are more stable, but they require more injections to immunize the pet and are more likely to cause allergic reactions ranging from low-grade fever or muscle aches to hives, facial swelling, or even vomiting and diarrhea. In rare cases, a pet may collapse within a few minutes of the injection from a severe anaphylactic reaction, but most reactions take a day or more to manifest.

Modified live vaccines work more quickly and for longer periods, are less expensive, and require only a single dose to be effective. However, they should not be used in sick animals and may cause suppression of the immune system in susceptible animals or abortions in pregnant bitches.


Vaccinations challenge the immune system in a complex manner, so it is not advisable to vaccinate a puppy or dog that is sick. Vaccines can fail if the animal has a fever or is taking steroids, or if they are given too close together or too far apart. They can also fail if the vaccine has been improperly handled or stored and may not protect a puppy that has lost immunity from mother's milk before the vaccine is administered.

Despite problems, vaccinations are still a pet owner's best line of defense against distemper and parvovirus that can kill puppies and young dogs, against rabies that will kill dogs - and people - of any age, and against other contagious diseases that can cause short term and long term health problems.

Pet owners should work with their veterinarians to design a vaccination schedule for each pet based on age, health status, reproductive status, and environment.


.....

It is a horrible virus and I wouldn't wish anyone to watch a fourlegged friend suffer, I just passed the link on to like minded people since Inverness isn't that far away and yes, there are some dogs who are not vaccinated.

[Moira]

I dont really have the time or inclination to get into a long winded pro/anti vaccination argument on here but since you asked I have copied and pasted this small bit from canismajor.com .....

It is a horrible virus and I wouldn't wish anyone to watch a fourlegged friend suffer, I just passed the link on to like minded people since Inverness isn't that far away and yes, there are some dogs who are not vaccinated.

Thanks for the heads-up carasmam. :)

You are so right - the pro/anti vaccination debate continues for our pets. It's much the same debate with regard to human vaccines which are available. We all require to research the facts and then make our own decisions.

[Liz]

Cheers for that Carasmam.

This post isn't re pro/anti vaccination :roll: but just a very much appreciated warning.

[carasmam]

Your welcome ladies, glad someone appreciates me :lol::Razz