SPCA urges dog owners in Gauteng to vaccinate their dogs
JOBURG – Tshwane SPCA warns dog owners to vaccinate their pets.
The Tshwane SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has warned all dog owners in Gauteng to vaccinate their dogs as they battle with a canine distemper outbreak at their Waltloo branch.
Afrivet Companion Animals and Ethicals, Dr Elizna Boag has urged dog owners to vaccinate their dogs immediately.
“If your dog is not vaccinated on a regular basis or within the last year, vaccinate it immediately,” said Boag.
Canine distemper is a deadly virus that attacks your dogs’ respiratory, urogenital, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. To date, no cure for the disease has been developed. According to the Garden Route SPCA, this highly contagious viral disease is spread through the air, and by direct or indirect contact with an infected animal.
All pet owners around the province are urged to be on the lookout for any abnormal behaviour in their dogs. Early signs of this disease may include a fever and a discharge from the nose and eyes.
“As the disease progresses, the dog becomes weak and lethargic. Dogs will also show a loss of appetite and may begin to vomit and have diarrhoea. Some patients will develop an involuntary twitching of muscles,” said Boag.
The first cases of canine distemper were reported in Knysna in May last year, claiming the lives of dozens of dogs and causing nearly 300 animals to be put down. The cases of the outbreak were also reported in Cape Town and Durban. Now the outbreak has spread to Gauteng.
“Dog owners should know that because distemper is a viral disease and the animal’s immune system has to fight it unaided, veterinarians can only provide supportive treatment once the dog has been diagnosed as having contracted distemper. An estimated 50 per cent of adult dogs and 80 per cent of puppies will succumb to the disease. Vaccination is the only way to prevent the disease.”
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