A group of veterinary scientists have launched a research project that aims to control the incidence of canine parvovirus, a potentially deadly disease that is currently affecting puppies across Australia.
Commonly known as parvo, the disease is not new to Australia. Outbreaks continue to occur with the latest recorded in NSW, WA and VIC.
According to Dr Mark Kelman, the scientist spearheading the project, previous research suggests that in the course of a year, one pet is infected with the disease at least every six hours, although the actual number of cases is likely to be significantly higher.
“Parvo kills approximately half the dogs it infects, and it is mostly unvaccinated puppies that succumb to the disease. Those pups that do survive face a tough battle before they fully recover,” he said.
“The research project, the first of its kind in the world, is seeking to accurately determine the number of cases and where they occur. The second stage of the project will involve implementing prevention strategies at a local level in high risk areas with a view to rolling out these strategies nationally.”
Dr Kelman and colleagues from the University of Sydney, are hoping to reduce canine parvovirus fatalities by 90 per cent or more in high risk areas.
“Canine parvovirus is a disease that we have really good vaccines for,” Dr Kelman said.
“Unfortunately, the problem is that vaccination is not occurring with the right puppies in the right place at the right time. We want to raise awareness of the importance of vaccinating in these areas so we can make a real difference in reducing the number of cases.”
The Australian Veterinary Association and ASAVA (small animal special interest group of the AVA) support the project and encourage all veterinarians in companion animal practice to participate in an online research survey.
Vets can contact the researchers for more information and a link to the survey by emailing [email protected].
Based on a media release sourced from the AVA.