Kwinana vet issues warning after increase in Parvovirus cases

A Kwinana veterinary clinic has issued a warning to dog owners after seeing an increase in cases of a potentially deadly virus.

Challenger Veterinary Hospital has seen 20 confirmed cases of Parvovirus in the last four weeks.

The virus affects puppies that are too young to be vaccinated and adult dogs that are overdue for their vaccination.

"Parvovirus can live in the environment for years and can be picked up on your shoes and walked into your home," the Challenger Veterinary Hospital posted to their Facebook page.

"Even if your dog doesn't leave your yard it is still at risk."

Parvovirus is highly contagious and can survive for long periods in the environment.

It is shed in the faeces of infected dogs.

Symptoms include lethargy; loss of appetite; abdominal pain and bloating; fever or low body temperature (hypothermia); vomiting; and severe, often bloody, diarrhoea. 

The fatality rate for dogs with the virus is very high at 91 per cent for untreated cases.

Vaccinating your pet against parvovirus is the only way to protect them from the disease.