Major concern over massive spike in Cat Flu cases

Date: 20 August 2016 By: Andries van Zyl

Recently, the Louis Trichardt SPCA and local vets have seen a massive spike in the number of Cat Flu (Parvovirus) cases that they have had to deal with in the past few months.

The SPCA therefore urged the public to read through the following informative article and to make sure they know what the symptoms of this deadly virus are and what you can do to prevent it and keep your animals safe and healthy!

What is Parvovirus, better known as Cat Flu?

The name "Cat flu" is misleading because even though cats suffer from a similar disease, the disease is not contracted from cats. The symptoms in dogs are due to intestinal involvement and very unlike flu symptoms. Dry, windy weather sees more cases that occur mostly in puppies, but previously unexposed, unvaccinated adult dogs are also at risk. Even with the best treatment available, some animals still don't survive, so vaccination is of paramount importance in the prevention of this terrible disease.

The cause

This serious disease is caused by one of the smallest viruses known to man, called Canine Parvovirus (CPV).  (Parvo is the Latin word for small). As many as 300 000 virus particles will fit into a millimetre! Albeit so small, the virus is extremely tough and will survive most disinfectants. It may stay alive in the environment for as long as two years if conditions are favourable. In 1978, when the first cases of Parvovirus in dogs were seen, the virus spread all over the world in a matter of months, often without the involvement of dogs in the transmission. Massive numbers of the virus occur in the stool of a sick dog.  One gram of faeces may contain enough virus to infect 10 million susceptible dogs!

The virus needs certain enzymes to grow. These enzymes are found in rapid-growing cells such as the ones lining the intestinal tract. These cells grow quickly enough that the intestinal lining is renewed every two to three days. If the virus grows inside these cells they break up, leaving large areas of damaged lining that lead to severe loss of body fluids. The normal intestinal flora which, under ordinary circumstances are pretty harmless, can now invade the body through the damaged areas.

The symptoms are often a high fever; listlessness; no appetite; continuous vomiting or foaming at the mouth; very smelly diarrhoea that frequently becomes blood-tinged and a brick red colour; white or bluish gums; abdominal pain; and dehydration — animals appear to have lost weight overnight

The symptoms usually appear very suddenly and susceptible pups may die within a few hours.  Pups with large numbers of antibodies will show much lighter symptoms. In rare instances, animals may develop infection of the heart muscles, with fatal results.

A bitch with good immunity against parvo will transfer these antibodies to her pups. They will then be protected to a large degree for a period of six to 12 weeks. Exposure to the virus, whether naturally or through vaccination, will enhance this immunity. Healthy puppies should thus be vaccinated at six weeks of age, again four weeks later and preferably a third time another four weeks later.  It is very unlikely that a pup that has had three properly administered vaccinations will contract the disease.  It is, however, important to stress that puppies must be healthy and free from worms before they can be vaccinated.

Because Parvovirus is one of the most frustrating diseases a vet has to put up with, vaccination remains the only efficient way of saving the puppy owner a lot of tears and regret.

The treatment

At present there are no affordable injectable drugs that kill viruses in the body, thus no specific treatment exists once the virus is inside the body. Treatment is aimed at curbing secondary bacteria, stopping vomiting and replenishing body fluids.

Treatment can include antibiotics; anti-emetics; intravenous fluid administration; inteflora or similar probiotics to replenish gut flora (beneficial bacteria in the intestines); activated charcoal to bind toxins in the gut; oral electrolytes if animals are still drinking and not vomiting; small quantities of bland food like rice and cooked chicken; and a blood transfusion in very severe cases.

In this case, PREVENTION is therefore most definitely better than cure and the only sure way to prevent your dog from getting this deadly virus is to keep its inoculations up to date.

“At our SPCA we receive animals from all walks of life and there is no way for us to know what diseases they might carry and if they have ever been inoculated before. So, we also want to emphasise the importance of having your pets inoculated if they are boarding at our premises, as per our boarding contract rules. We also urge visitors to our kennels who come in contact with our animals to make sure your dogs at home are inoculated and covered. Inoculate your dogs TODAY; prevention is most definitely better than cure!” said the local SPCA.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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