An epidemic of potentially deadly canine parvovirus is sweeping through a neighbourhood in east Cornwall.
It’s difficult to pinpoint how many dogs have been affected because many go unreported but local authorities say the numbers are up. “We are seeing a higher number than usual these days,” says Dr. Adnan El Korchi of the St. Lawrence Animal Hospital.
“There’s at least 17 cases that I’m aware of,” adds local dog-owner and community advocate Heather Hurley.
One of those cases involved her friend and neighbour, Brittany Crowder, still grieving from the loss of her dog. “Two and a half weeks ago my puppy died,” she says. “She got sick with parvo.”
It is a highly-contagious disease, transmitted from dog to dog through their feces. Quite often the feces is very soft and runny and difficult to properly clean up. “It causes usually severe dehydration, vomiting, loss of appetite weight loss. And usually the dog dies just from dehydration,” says Dr. El Korchi.
It can be prevented with a series of vaccines, administered at 2, 3 and 4 months of age. Puppies between 2 and 12 months are most at risk.
Some people don’t get their dogs vaccinated either because of a lack of awareness or because of the cost. The shots can cost two to three hundred dollars.
That’s more than some in this east Cornwall neighbourhood can afford to pay. Brittany Crowder is warning her neighbours they can’t afford not to. “Because I see a lot of people out with their dogs like everything's OK. Whenever I ask does your puppy have their shots. Oh, no, no, no. I'm just doing this. Well I did that too and my puppy's dead now.”
