This little terrier is bringing important news. Yes, we know, none of our canine pals likes to get shots but sometimes it's better than getting very, very sick.
Parvovirus Alert
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has issued an alert for dog guardians about an outbreak of Parvovirus in Berkshire and Worcester Counties, “Dozens of dogs have been affected in these two areas, and several have died or had to be euthanized due to severe illness caused by the virus.”
Many BostonZest readers travel to those areas and dogs from there visit Boston. Given the highly contagious nature of the disease, we're devoting this week’s Sunday Dog post to this topic.
Parvovirus
In the alert, MDAR explained, “Parvovirus primarily infects puppies, but any unvaccinated dog can be susceptible. Dogs usually exhibit symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including vomiting and diarrhea. Although dogs can recover from the disease if it is detected early and treated aggressively, it can be fatal. The virus is typically spread directly from dog to dog, but it can persist in the environment for several months. Dogs that have been infected and recover can remain infectious for several months.”
What to do
You should confirm with your veterinarian that your dog is protected from parvo infection. And, in light of this alert, you should also act quickly and seek emergency treatment if Parvovirus symptoms appear.
Titer Testing
To avoid over vaccinating their dogs, many people opt for titer testing after initial immunity to a disease like parvo is established. But, you have to be careful that your veterinarian specifically requests a “vaccine titer test” and gives you those results. Titer tests are also done to check if a dog has a disease and the two can be confused by a laboratory.
Be sure to ask if your animal hospital is following the current protocol established for vaccinating dogs. The American Animal Hospital Association publishes the current guidelines on their website.
As for the little guy up top, he has a vivid imagination. The needle is certainly not that big!
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Artwork: istockphoto
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