Veterinarians from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) have alerted dog owners, suspecting an outbreak of parvovirus in the city.
“Three puppies died recently. They could not survive as the owners delayed taking them to the vet,” said R. Sokkalingam, a vet at the SPCA.
Doctors said the virus mainly attacked dogs which were less than 100 days old, and were exotic breeds. Two of the puppies that died were of foreign breeds. One was a Rottweiler and the other a Dobermann.
The virus was endemic to the city and became active during climatic changes, for instance, the onset of monsoon or summer, doctors said.
Timely treatment
The virus mainly affected the stomach and intestines of the animals, and in most cases, the chances of survival of the dog, after contracting the virus, were not high, especially if the treatment was delayed.
The most common symptoms were excessive vomiting, severe dehydration and blood or foul smell in motion, the doctors said. They advised the pet owners not to medicate their pets in such cases but rush them to vets.
“Dogs must be vaccinated for parvo within 100 days of birth,” said Dr. Sokkalingam. He further added that the dogs must be given a core vaccine to protect them from parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, para influenza and adeno virus.
“Owners must be vigilant during such seasons, especially those who have foreign breeds,” he said.
