Dog owners have been advised to take extra care after an "outbreak" of the potentially lethal parvovirus.
Vets at Northwest Veterinary Specialists (NWVS) in Sutton Weaver, Runcorn, said the region has been hit by a “sudden influx” of the contagious disease with Liverpool particularly affected.
Parvovirus can be deadly for dogs if left untreated and causes vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.
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One recent case involved five-month-old female crossbreed Scout from Liverpool who needed 10 days of hospitalisation to beat the virus.
Chantal Rosa, internal medicine specialist and her NWVS colleague Harry Warwick, internal medicine clinician, treated Scout who was “very unwell” when admitted.
Harry said: “She was vomiting, had diarrhoea and was barely responsive.
“She’d been vaccinated as a puppy but was still very unwell with the virus.
“Scout was initially treated for signs of shock and once stabilised a feeding tube was inserted and additional supportive care was continued over a period of 10 days.
“She’s now fully recovered but unfortunately that’s not always the case with parvovirus.
“It is spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with contaminated faeces and is very hard to detect and very hard to kill.
“It can survive for extremely long periods on the ground, on surfaces, in kennels, on people’s hands and clothing and can also be carried on a dog’s fur or paws.
“Vaccination is the best prevention and immediate treatment is essential to save lives.”
Prue Neath, NWVS’s clinical director, is keen to raise awareness about the potentially deadly disease.
Prue said: “Parvovirus is a highly contagious virus which attacks a dog’s intestines and causes severe vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.
“There is an extremely high mortality rate in untreated and unvaccinated pets so dog owners should seek immediate veterinary care if their pet is displaying these symptoms.
“We have recently treated a number of cases from the North West, and the Liverpool area in particular, so I’m urging all dog owners to take extra care and be aware of the dangers.”
Scout is now back home with grateful owners Tony Wong and Angela Coleman.
Tony said: “It was incredibly alarming to see the dramatic deterioration in Scout and we didn’t think she was going to make it.
“We kept talking to her on the way to Northwest because we feared she was going to go.
"She was in toxic shock and was just a husk, but as soon as we got there the team immediately got to work.
“Harry was fantastic, his communication with us was continuously impeccable."
He added: “Scout had been vaccinated against parvovirus as a puppy, but she was still an extremely poorly dog when she was admitted.
“It was thanks to the expertise of Harry and the whole team she survived.
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“Scout was an extremely affectionate, sociable pup before contracting parvovirus and we did have fears the extreme hospitalisation experience as a whole would affect her adversely.
“However, she’s come out an even more loving dog than before and still excited and comfortable to visit our vet.
“In our opinion, this is due to the genuinely loving approach of the whole team responsible for her care – we are so incredibly impressed and thankful.”
