PARVO outbreak in Trenton, NJ
 

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Warning about virus that's killing NJ dogs | abc7chicago.com

Warning about virus that's killing NJ dogs

A silent killer has been taking the lives of dogs in central New Jersey.
By Nora Muchanic


Friday, September 19, 2014


TRENTON, N.J. --
A silent killer has been taking the lives of dogs in central New Jersey.

Over the past several months, vets in Trenton have watched helplessly as dozens of people were forced to say goodbye to their furry friends.

The culprit is the highly-contagious parvovirus.

"We do consider it a large outbreak. It does happen in more urban areas," said Valerie Wilson of People for Animals.

Wilson is organizing a free parvovirus vaccination clinic for pet owners in the western section of Trenton after dozens of dogs from that area have died in the last month from the illness.

"It does get them very sick, it's most often fatal to dogs. It affects their intestinal tracts," she said.

Throughout the summer, officials at Trenton Animal Shelter have been getting calls from pet owners describing parvovirus symptoms: vomiting, fever, lack of appetite, dehydration and diarrhea - the reason it's so highly contagious.

"It's not easy to clean up, it's not easy to pick up and so you're stepping in it, animals are stepping in it and that is exactly the way it's transmitted," said Trenton Health Officer Jim Brownlee.

Parvovirus can be transmitted by anything that comes into contact with the contaminated feces. Even an innocent walk through grass can transfer it to a healthy dog's paws or hair.

"The virus spreads very easily in puppies but all dogs are affected," said Brownlee.

Officials say dog owners with sick animals have been calling the shelter as a last resort because it costs thousands of dollars to treat parvovirus at an animal hospital.

"They end up signing their dog over to us as a release and because the dog is very sick we end up having to euthanize the animal," said Elaine Thaxton, manager of the Trenton Animal Shelter.

400 free doses of the parvovirus vaccine will be available to residents of the 08618 ZIP code only. Officers say getting the vaccine could be a lifesaver for your family's dog.

"Any dog can catch this virus at any time, but as long as you're keeping up with the proper care, vaccinations and instructions and advice from the vets office you should be able to prevent this," said Animal Control Officer Jose Munoz.

For residents of the 08618 area code, there will be a free parvovirus vaccination clinic at Cadwalader Park on Saturday, September 20th from 3pm to 5pm. You must show proof you live in the area.

Great post, thanks for sharing I have friends in that area I will let them in case they are not aware. Just out of curiosity, do you know how long does it take for the parvo vaccine to take affect and protect your dog.

Yes, I worry about things like this especially since the pendulum has swung the other way and people are so afraid of over-vaccination to such an extent, they aren't even getting their dogs vaccinated at all. Of course, this would set prime conditions up for a large scale outbreak of the disease and as the disease mutates it could cause a super virus that even immunized dogs might be vulnerable to. So that's we have to be cautious in recommending against vaccinations and try and find some middle ground. Thanks for the update.

My vet said if it is the first vaccine, it will have a short memory and only immunized for about 3 weeks. She said not to take the pups out till a week after the second vaccine. Preferably, not until the third vaccine. We have a high rate of parvo here in the Springs as well right now, so my babe will be indoors till spring.

This is very disturbing. Definitely gives me something to think about relative to vaccines for my boys. I was going to do titers.

My Piper was fully immunized and still contracted parvo at 5 months of age. She spent 13 days at the vets. He tried medication that he had used before on parvo but managed to keep her alive and she is doing great. She just turned 1 year in august. Since there were concerns about her immune system we did titers on her and luckily they were ok. We also did titers on my other dogs. My older yorkies are just turned 6 and 7. They weigh 2.5 and 3 pounds so I had been giving them their shots every other year. With so many people choosing not to immunize their dogs titers are a good option. They cost a little more but beat paying the vet bills for a dog with parvo and definitely beat losing you baby.

My Piper was fully immunized and still contracted parvo at 5 months of age. She spent 13 days at the vets. He tried medication that he had never used before on parvo but managed to keep her alive and she is doing great. She just turned 1 year in august. Since there were concerns about her immune system we did titers on her and luckily they were ok. We also did titers on my other dogs. My older yorkies are just turned 6 and 7. They weigh 2.5 and 3 pounds so I had been giving them their shots every other year. With so many people choosing not to immunize their dogs titers are a good option. They cost a little more but beat paying the vet bills for a dog with parvo and definitely beat losing you baby.

Are you sure the breeder did the shots for sure? DAP lasts 5 years it is to much to give it every other year and the closest they should ever be given is every three years. Your vet should know that.

Individual vaccines are available against Parvovirus. In puppy shots, it's included in the DHPP. I think I'll be getting mine boostered just against Parvo. I'm also going to check with my vet to see what she recommends, and ask about what may be trending in my area..

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: It always bothers me when I see people scaring others about vaccines.

Distemper can be deadly. I would not only worry about parvo. The bottom line is that pups need to be vaccinated! Too many people fear vaccines...if they would just follow the AAHA guidelines, that is all that is needed. My opinion of course. :)

Wow, this really scares me! I'm only about 30 minutes away from that area. My pups are vaccinated, but I've heard they could still get it if exposed. Does anyone know if that's true?

I'm south of you and also find it scary. Both of mine have been vaccinated but with Sissy just having had coccidia and being hospitalized last week I worry about her most. They had been at the dog park every nice day possible before she got sick so I'm pretty sure that is where she got it. It's a shame they will not get to go there anymore since they enjoyed running and playing there. But you cant tell if other owners have taken the precautions needed to keep their pups well. One day a guy came in with a big puppy (there is a small dog area) that he said was 8 weeks old. A woman asked how old? And if it had its shots. The guy told her it had all its shots and was spayed. After she started asking these questions he left quickly.

I would think a dog that is immunocompromised might be a higher risk for contraction.