NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida is seeing a deadly parvovirus outbreak – and if you bring your dog to parks, it could be at risk.
Fox 4’s Austin Schargorodski talked with vets seeing an increase in cases about the steps you can take to protect your dog:
Dogs usually run free at Pooch Park in Cape Coral, but some owners are keeping their distance.
More than 1,300 Parvo cases have been reported across Florida, including 30 in Cape Coral. Elaine Ferrigan says she isn’t taking chances with her three-year-old dog, Frankie.
“When we saw other dogs in the small park and no dogs here in the large park, we thought it would be wise to bring him over here and keep the dogs separate to make sure they all stay healthy,” Ferrigan said.
Vets like Dr. Emily Huetten at East West Vet Care Center say they’re seeing more cases, including one very recently.
“We were able to treat it. It was a puppy that was not fully vaccinated. So it did show up positive. It presented diarrhea and vomiting,” Huetten said.
Huetten says those are the first signs to watch for.
And it’s not just a Florida problem – Dr. Jennifer Miller with Elanco Animal Health says the U.S. sees 330,000 cases of parvo every year. She says it spreads through infected dog poop and can linger in soil for years.
“All they have to do is walk through that contaminated environment and then later they just lick their paws. That’s a normal puppy grooming behavior and that’s all it takes to get exposed to parvovirus,” Miller said.
Miller says awareness is crucial because without treatment, 91% of infected puppies don’t survive. So, to help track outbreaks, Elanco created Parvo Track.
“Parvo Track is this really great tool that veterinarians and animal owners alike can utilize to see where Parvo is in their area. You can search it down to the zip code level,” Miller said.
And while tracking cases helps, Miller says the best defense against Parvo is vaccination. But for dogs that do get infected, she says Elanco has developed a treatment.
“So that’s been really a game changer on how we’ve treated Parvo and stopping the virus directly instead of just supporting these puppies through the infection. We’re actually stopping that virus from causing any additional destruction to their bodies,” Miller said.
During this outbreak, Miller says if you notice symptoms, don’t wait – get your dog to a vet immediately.
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