REDLANDS Veterinary Clinic vet Katria Lovell is alerting local dog owners to an outbreak of parvovirus on and just north of the Gold Coast.
She advises Redland dog owners who are planning to take their pets to areas on or near the Gold Coast to ensure they are vaccinated against the highly contagious and potentially fatal virus.
Katria said the clinic had received several reports of the disease and had recently treated two suspected cases.
"There have been quite a few reported cases down towards the Gold Coast," she said.
"We've heard of 10 cases just in the past seven days."
Katria said the Animal Welfare League shelter at Coombabah on the Gold Coast had also reported 50 cases in the past two months, with about half of them proving fatal to the infected dogs.
She said rapid diagnosis and treatment was essential for infected dogs, with symptoms including severe vomiting and diarrhoea with blood showing in the faeces.
"It can be frightening to see," she said.
"The dog is also weak and sick and one of the first symptoms is that they go off their food and are very quiet.
"It is essential to detect the virus quickly because more often than not, it is fatal."
Katria said treatment included isolation from other dogs and lengthy stays in hospital.
"Even if a dog survives, they are still contagious for two months afterwards, so the isolation is prolonged," she said.
"It also takes a big toll on their immune system and they end up with other problems."
The virus, although preventable through vaccination, was "very hardy in the environment".
"A dog can pick up the virus from anywhere an infected dog has been," she said.
"They don't need to come into contact with the other dog.
"Dog parks and beaches are big for parvovirus when there's an outbreak.
"Most people associate the virus with puppies, but any dog can become infected with it.
"The outbreak shows that people are being lax with vaccination.
"We don't have it in the Redlands at the moment and I would hate to think we would get it here, especially as this is an area where people really love their dogs and love to take them outside.
"With the disease so close to the Redlands, people need to ensure their dogs are up to date with vaccinations."
Katria said kennel cough, also preventable through vaccination, was also on the rise.
