Dog owners get virus message

A spate of dog deaths from parvovirus has sparked an increase in preventative vaccinations, according to local vets.

The Kalgoorlie Miner reported on September 4 that at least 15 dogs had died in 10 days from parvovirus in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

The Animal Hospital Kalgoorlie and Kalgoorlie Veterinary Clinic have since seen an increase in both vaccinations and awareness of the symptoms.

Cassie Osborne from Animal Hospital Kalgoorlie said there have been just two cases of parvovirus in the past fortnight.

“It was a bit scary at the start of the month. When the weather warms up and people start walking their dogs more often we start to see a lot more cases,” Ms Osborne said.

“We have had a lot of people come in to get their dogs vaccinated. People are a lot more knowledgeable now about the symptoms and can see that vaccines are important to keep their dogs healthy.”

A spokeswoman for the Kalgoorlie Veterinary Clinic said they are still averaging about two cases a week.