At the end of a stressful week for dog owners, many were stunned when a mysterious dog disease identified in northern Michigan was confirmed to be parvovirus, a serious disease for which there is a vaccine. relieved.
Kari Beer, a critical care specialist at the Oakland Veterinary Referral Service in Bloomfield Hills, said as long as the dog gets regular care and vaccinations, it’s probably fine.
“The distemper combination vaccine is usually given as several boosters when the pet is a puppy, then repeated annually to every three years, depending on the dog’s age, and includes a parvovirus vaccine.
Khusheu Mistry adopted his dog Zar during the COVID-19 pandemic and took time to get an appointment during and after the shutdown, but he is fully vaccinated and is now fully vaccinated. feels okay about the parvovirus outbreak.
“I heard it on Monday and people were freaking out,” said Mistry, 27, of Detroit. “I think everyone was avoiding dog parks. I know I was. I still used it, but only if nobody was there just because they didn’t know what it was.”
Before the disease was identified as parvovirus, dog owners worried it was the beginning of a dog pandemic that sparked panic.
Kellen Collison similarly avoided bringing Brody, a 2-year-old border collie, to the dog park, but wasn’t too surprised when the disease was identified as parvovirus.
“Looking at the symptoms, they were kind of consistent with parvo.
Parvovirus is spread by faecal-oral contamination, so if an unvaccinated or partially vaccinated dog is outdoors and comes into contact with other dogs or contaminated stool, there is a risk of infection, Beer said. This makes areas where dogs congregate, such as parks and accommodations, particularly at risk.
Becky Briskin almost canceled a playdate at Pippa’s Grand Circus Dog Park in downtown Detroit this week for fear of a mysterious virus. relieved. Her Welsh Her Terrier is completely up to date with vaccines.
“It’s nice to be able to meet friends and run dogs,” said Briskin, 36, of Detroit. “So I think dog parks have their place as long as you’re safe.” The dog park has been really great for us during the pandemic when we were closed.”
Victoria Zahul, co-director of Boxer Haven Rescue, which owns Boxer, said many clinics were backed up for routine and emergency care at the height of the pandemic. Her rescue would need to suspend ingestion so as not to overwhelm the foster dog’s caretakers, not take similar precautions to allow quarantine to stop the spread of parvovirus. She was worried.
“After the state reopened, we started taking dogs in again, but we struggled quite a bit with getting veterinary care in a timely manner,” she said.
Beer agreed, saying Oakland Veterinary Referral Services has been busy throughout the pandemic and is often not yet at capacity.
It’s been a nerve-wracking week for Tina Lewandowski, who has a 7-year-old rescue dog named Denny. Denny has a sensitive stomach and can show symptoms similar to parvovirus.
“They thought it was parvo, so they didn’t know exactly what it was, but it tested negative,” she said. I knew he (Denny) had all the latest, but I just wanted to double check.”
Point-of-care testing for parvovirus in northern clinics and shelters had previously reverted to negative for infected dogs. It was only identified after it was implemented. Beer likened the process to her testing for COVID-19, encouraging dog owners to get their pets tested if they appear ill.
“Sometimes we test ourselves[for COVID]at home and the screening test is negative, but when we go to get the PCR test it’s positive,” she said.
Beer added that the clinic has seen an increase in parvovirus cases over the summer, but he doesn’t know why these haven’t led to an outbreak like the one in northern Michigan.
Some dog owners, like Dean Dreon, were less concerned about the virus and prioritized socializing and exercising their pets. I heard, his Australian Shepherd mix, Carter, has all the vaccinations and needs a place like a dog park.
“If I kept him indoors for a day or two away from other dogs, he would go insane,” Dreon said.
Sheri Grace, veterinary technician and office manager at Macomb Center Veterinary Hospital, said most clients keep their dogs up to date on the vaccines required at many dog parks, day cares and boarding facilities. I’m here.
“As long as your pets are vaccinated and taken care of, they should be fine,” she said.
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