Parvovirus Outbreak Orange Nsw

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Sick as a dog

Sick as a dog: 41 cases of deadly parvovirus reported in Orange

By TANYA MARSCHKE

March 6, 2015, 4:30 a.m.PET PROJECT: Dog owners are being warned about an outbreak of parvovirus.

ORANGE has been listed as a hot spot for the deadly dog disease, parvovirus (parvo), with 41 reported cases in the last three months.

The figure was released by the Australian Veterinary Association this week with the number of Orange cases significantly higher than other NSW hot spots Duri (12 cases), Goulburn (10 cases), Tamworth (10 cases), Walgett (nine cases) and Ambarvale (seven cases).

There were 315 reported cases across Australia including 170 cases in NSW during the period.

According to the association Queensland division president Dr Michael O’Donoghue death occurred in 80 per cent of untreated cases and in 53 per cent of treated cases the dog or puppy died or had to be euthanised.

Canobolas Family Pet Hospital vet Dr Angela Warrian said most cases were puppies or young dogs that had not had follow up shots.

“It’s now quietened off in the last couple of weeks but in the last couple of months there was quite a few cases,” Dr Warrian said.

“It’s mainly the people that think they’ve had their dogs fully vaccinated, they’ve had one puppy vaccination but not the follow up.

“In addition the ones that we see are puppies that don’t get their puppy needles or their booster at 15 months of age, it’s really vital to have that one a year later, that’s why we have 12 to 15 month old dogs come in.”

Dr Warrian said the first vaccination was usually made when a puppy was between six and eight weeks and there was a follow up vaccination at 12 weeks although some puppies needed a shot in between.

Particular breeds such as Rottweilers may also require a different schedule due to a difference in the mother’s immunity.“For animals that are in high risk areas, if they have just moved into a property and don’t know the history or if they know they’ve ever had parvo in their yard of if they take their puppies to parks or other social areas, for those animals we do suggest shortening the vaccination schedule so there’s a more minute gap,” Dr Warrian said.

Although there has been a socioeconomic link with some people not getting their animals vaccinated due to the cost Dr Warrian said the parvo cases came from across Orange.

She said people should factor in the cost of vaccinations before getting a pet and at less than $200 for two shots it was much cheaper to vaccinate than spend between $700 and $3000 on parvo treatment, which had no guarantee of success.

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