Lynn Lau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Sep 30/02) - Dog owners are being urged to vaccinate their pets to protect them against a parvovirus outbreak sweeping through town this month.

Linda Eccles, executive director of the Beaufort Delta Regional SPCA, says she is aware of 10 dogs that have died from the disease so far.

She first became aware of the outbreak in early September when several sick dogs were brought to her with classic symptoms such as loss of appetite, dehydration and bloody feces.

On Sept. 13, she got confirmation from a Yukon veterinary lab that the dead dogs had parvovirus.

The highly contagious disease is transmitted through a diseased dog's feces and it can stay in the ground for six months or longer.

Once a dog becomes sick, it is unlikely to survive. "We've put IVs (intravenous) in them, but parvovirus is a tricky thing because unless you catch it right away. It dehydrates the dog and they bleed to death, basically."

Humans are not susceptible to parvovirus, a disease that only affects canines.

"Parvo has been here for a long time, but a lot of people just don't know that they (dogs) need to get regular vaccines," Eccles says.

The free rabies vaccines offered yearly by the environmental health office do not protect dogs against parvovirus. At the Great Slave Animal Hospital in Yellowknife, dogs come in with parvo on average once every two months, says Amy Maund. There have been recent outbreaks in Yellowknife and Fort Providence. To prevent the disease, people should get dog's vaccinations up to date. Puppies require three initial shots, while adult dogs that have been immunized before requiring yearly booster shots. If you think your dog may have contracted parvo, call your veterinarian or nearest SPCA office.