Dog centre owner 'sick' over parvovirus concerns

The owner of a dog rescue centre in Shropshire has said she is "sick" with worry after a number of suspected cases of parvovirus were reported in the county.

Marty Burrell from Hillbrae Rescue Kennels at Cold Hatton said she was taking extra precautions and urged dog owners to get their pets vaccinated.

Parvovirus, also called parvo, is a virus which causes severe diarrhoea and vomiting and can be fatal, especially to younger dogs.

There have been no cases at Hillbrae, but Burrell said the virus brought an extra concern for her, because an outbreak could prevent her from rehoming dogs.

The PDSA vet charity described parvovirus as "highly contagious" and said as well as damaging the lining of the gut, it can attack infection-fighting cells within the bone marrow, which weakens the immune system.

It said it was "especially serious in unvaccinated dogs and puppies less than six months old because their immune systems aren't as well developed and so are less able to fight the virus".

Symptoms can include severe diarrhoea, vomiting, a loss of energy, extreme temperatures, reduced appetite, stomach pain and pale gums.

There is no cure, so intensive care and medication is needed to control their symptoms while their body tries to fight the infection.

Hillbrae has installed disinfectant mats, has increased its cleaning regime, is refusing to take in unvaccinated dogs and is asking people to keep their dogs away if they have been to visit other dog centres.

Burrell said all her dogs were vaccinated and the precautions were necessary, because "where there's a lot of dogs, you've got a much greater chance of it passing from one to the other".

Parvovirus can survive in the environment for months or years and she said: "If you get it into the ground or into the fabric of where it is, it's very, very difficult to remove."

The PDSA said most dogs would be exposed to parvovirus at some point in their life, so the only way to protect them was through regular vaccination.

Steve Howard, the PDSA's chief veterinary advisor, said every puppy should have a primary vaccination course, followed by boosters later.

He said about 82% of dog and cat owners reported they were vaccinating their pets, which was encouraging, but not high enough to ensure "herd immunity".

Howard said parvovirus could be "devastating" for the dogs affected and also the veterinary teams "who have to do their best to look after these animals".

Although he acknowledged money was tight for a lot of people, he pointed out the cost of vaccination was less than the cost of a car MOT and service.

"If you're prepared to spend that money on a car, hopefully you can spend that money on a beloved family pet to keep it safe," he said.

Burrell said if there was an outbreak at a centre like hers "you're stuffed", because she would be unable to release any of her rescue dogs.

But more importantly, as a dog-lover, she said her message was: "If you don't want your dog to die of a horrible disease, then keep its vaccinations up-to-date."

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