is urging dog owners to make sure their pets are vaccinated after research revealed that “up to 45% of registered pet owners hadn’t got vital vaccinations and boosters” – prompting fears of a surge in deadly parvovirus.
Edward Davies, Chairman of the UK Clinical Board at My Family Vets, said, “There are several reasons why we are really concerned about seeing an increase in cases of parvovirus and our practices have been taking steps to brace themselves for a potential resurgence in this disease as well as ensuring they are encouraging their clients to keep up to date with dog vaccinations.
“Due to the and the whole Covid situation, ensuring preventative health care has been correctly followed for all pets has been a real challenge. The potential resurgence of parvo has been quite a worry during this time.
“Luckily, dogs and puppies can receive a vaccine against parvovirus. Puppies can get their first vaccination when they are 6-8 weeks old, with a follow-up injection 2-4 weeks later.”
He added, “Your dog’s annual health check and vaccination cycle includes protection against parvovirus, so it’s vital to keep these up to protect your pet against this serious infection.
“As well as protecting your adult dog or young puppy against this nasty and potentially fatal disease, regular vaccination is required by kennels and pet insurers as a condition of cover.
“I cannot stress enough just how important it is for pet owners to get their pets vaccinated and we can hopefully prevent this becoming a problem for pet owners across the UK this year.”
Labrador Retriever puppy Paisley was only weeks old when she began showing signs of parvovirus. It took a week-long battle to save her life, but she eventually recovered and was allowed to go home. Many puppies struck down by the disease are not so lucky.
Paisley’s owner Cathy Ball is sure that having had the first vaccine shot for parvovirus helped Paisley win her life and death battle.
“I can’t urge owners enough to make sure they get their dog vaccinated,” added Cathy. “That’s literally a lifesaver.”