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Animal parvo presence felt
POCATELLO -- A spate of canine parvovirus cases reported last week by a local animal clinic does not appear to signal a local outbreak, as other facilities are not reporting a marked increase in the potentially fatal disease which affects dogs.
A spokeswoman at Alpine Animal Hospital said the five cases it saw last week appear to have coincided with the cycle of puppy births in autumn. Parvovirus is spread through contact with feces containing the virus. The organism is resilient and can live for months on inanimate objects. It does not pose a health risk to humans, but is particularly deadly to puppies, with an approximate 80 percent fatality rate. The disease causes damage to the gastrointestinal tract, with dehydration, lethargy, severe diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Puppies retain some immunity from their mothers, but that protection wanes in a short time, making the dogs susceptible to the disease.
Tim Hancock, the director of animal control for Chubbuck, said the number of parvo cases has not increased at the city's facility. "Our incidences of parvo were actually down this year from last year," he said. "Two years ago, we probably had five or six cases come through. This last year, I think we had two."
A spokeswoman at the Pocatello Animal Shelter said only one case has been recently reported. Sherilynn Burkman, a local veterinarian and owner of Community Animal Hospital, said there has been only a slight rise in cases.
"We probably are seeing a few more cases then we have before," she said. "Let's face it, parvo is the most commonly diagnosed infectious disease in dogs in the United States, so, unfortunately, it's pretty common." Puppies that receive a course of inoculations at animal hospitals for distemper, canine influenza and others, also get the vaccine for parvovirus. Vaccinations typically are given to puppies every three to four weeks starting at 6 weeks of age and continuing until they are 16 to 20 weeks old.
Burkman said the disease is most commonly seen in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated dogs, and those dogs that were vaccinated at home. She said the home vaccinations by owners are fairly common. "A bunch do because you can buy the vaccine for real cheap at the feed store or the pet store," she said. "People think it's a bargain, but they don't think about how well it's actually going to work. It's sure as heck not a bargain if you use it, but then your dog gets parvo."
Burkman said there are a lot of factors that make home inoculations problematic. Part of it is the quality of the animal vaccines. She said animal vaccines are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Human vaccines are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has more stringent requirements. "The USDA is a lot more lax," she said. "It could be any anomaly in the shipping, the storage, the administration. It could be in that it's not given at an appropriate schedule for the age of the dog. All of these probably play a role."
"There's a lot of dogs out there that are not protected from parvo," Burkman said. Although adult dogs have much better immunity to the disease, they can also be affected. Some breeds are more susceptible than others. Studies have found that Rottweilers, Doberman pinschers, and Labrador retrievers are more prone to the disease. To ensure protection, Hancock said all dogs should get the vaccine.
"We tell people it's a good idea to have a booster every year," she said. By John Bulger
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parvo dog owner wrote on Jan 13, 2009 11:30 PM: