"We've seen 20 parvo cases in two weeks, which is far higher than what we expect to see this time of year," said Elisabeth Ditzler, hospital administrator at Cochise Animal Hospital in Bisbee. "Most of the dogs that we're treating during this outbreak are young, unvaccinated puppies, or young dogs that have received one vaccination," she added.
Cochise Animal Hospital recommends that puppies receive their first parvo vaccination between 6 and 8 weeks of age, with two repeat vaccinations three weeks apart, Ditzler said. "People seem to believe that one vaccination is adequate, but puppies require a series in order for their immune systems to fight the disease. And there are some breeds, like Rottweilers and Dobermans that do better with four vaccinations instead of the three that we usually recommend."
While the virus is most prevalent in young dogs and puppies, it's important to keep adults and older dogs vaccinated as well, as geriatric dogs — even those that have been vaccinated in previous years — are getting the disease, Ditzler warned.
Lorakate Snyder, the veterinarian at Cochise Animal Hospital, says she has never seen this many cases of parvo virus in such a short period of time. "While this disease is treatable, it often requires hospitalization and IV fluids and can get quite expensive for owners to treat," she said. "It's so much better for all concerned — the dogs and the owners — to get your dogs vaccinated between 6 and 8 weeks of age and follow up with the vaccination schedule that your veterinarian recommends," Snyder added.
Veterinarians at Coronado Animal Hospital in Sierra Vista have been seeing "an above normal number of parvo cases the past couple of weeks" and, like other animal hospitals, want to remind clients to get their dogs vaccinated.
Veterinarian Nancy Leverenz of All Creatures Animal Hospital in Benson says that she is actually seeing a decrease in the number of parvo cases at her practice this year. However, Leverenz is seeing an increase in the number of older dogs with parvo than what she has experienced in past years. Echoing some of the concerns expressed by Cochise Animal Hospital, Leverenz attributes the rise in older dog parvo cases to owners who are vaccinating young dogs, but are not continuing to vaccinate the adults as they age. Leverenz warns that parvo can attack very quickly and is capable of killing a dog within 24 hours if the animal goes untreated. Symptoms of the disease are lethargy, no interest in food, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. In most cases, dogs survive the disease when veterinary care is started, but the care typically requires IV fluids and hospitalization. For the best treatment outcome, she advises getting the dog to a veterinarian as soon as symptoms are noticed.
Paula Tyler, the veterinarian at Benson Animal Hospital is seeing a higher than normal incidence of parvo at her clinic.
"We've seen about 15 cases in the past three weeks, which is a lot," Tyler said. "We're seeing it in unvaccinated puppies and older dogs that haven't been vaccinated in recent years. And we're not alone. Clinics in Tucson are seeing more cases of parvo, and there have been cases at the shelter here in Benson."
Tyler says the parvo vaccine is "very, very good" and is effective in protecting dogs against the disease when given properly. Like other veterinarians, she has noticed that most of the sick dogs are those that have not been kept on the vaccination protocol recommended by their veterinarians, or it occurs in older dogs that have not been vaccinated recently.
Tyler advises dog owners with new puppies to keep them away from public areas where dogs congregate until they are fully vaccinated.
"This is a very hardy virus that can live in the environment for years and years," she warned. "If you've had a case of parvo in your home, it's important to kill the virus by using a bleach and water dilution with 10 percent bleach. If you visit an animal shelter or other facilities with dogs during an outbreak, make sure you use the (bleach) solution on your shoes, or you can track the virus into your home."
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Information from: Sierra Vista Herald, http://www.svherald.com
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