Chennai: Lately, many pet puppies are reportedly dying in the city due to parvovirus. Even as veterinary doctors are cautioning dog owners to get their animals vaccinated, residents are urging the Corporation and Health department to vaccinate strays.
Speaking to News Today, a veterinarian said, “Pets must be vaccinated against parvo, distemper, lepto and rabies. The virus spreads during the rainy season and starts showing symptoms a month later. It affects puppies between one to six months of age.”
It has been reported that between December 2018 and January this year, 20 dogs affected by the virus were brought to a clinic in Velacheri and seven of them have died. Dog owners must look out for symptoms such as excessive vomiting, dehydration and blood or foul smell in their faeces. They are advised not to medicate their pets in such cases but rush them to the nearby veterinary clinic.
Balakrishnan, a dog-owner, says one of his puppies had gone missing, and after it returned home, other pups were infected with the virus. “It escaped 10 days ago from my house and lost its way. I found it near Perungudi railway station days later. I did not know it was infected. It began vomiting blood and lost appetite. The dog passed away two days after returning home and infected six other dogs, of which three have died.”
An Animal Husbandry Department official said they were monitoring the situation and necessary steps would be taken.