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A U.S. Army veterinarian gives a dog a brief checkup before giving it the Parvo/Temper vaccination.
United State Marine CorpsIndianapolis Animal Care Services urges pet owners to vaccinate their animals after seeing an increase in canine parvovirus - or parvo.
Parvo is a deadly virus that targets dogs. IACS director Katie Trennepohl says the virus is contagious.
“The thing with parvo is that if left untreated it is almost always deadly," Trennepohl says. "We are really encouraging the public to get their animals vaccinated to prevent the infection and also just the signs to watch for with their own dogs.”
Signs to watch for are lethargy, loss of appetite and vomiting. Symptoms can worsen quickly. Puppies and unvaccinated dogs are the most at risk.
Trennephol says IACS has seen over 50 parvo cases at animal intake in the last week -the most she’s seen in her 15 years in animal welfare. She says warmer weather is a factor, and fewer people may be vaccinating their pets.
The best way to prevent parvo is to keep pets updated on vaccines.
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