Bay County Animal Services has seen the number of Parvo Cases in adult dogs double at their shelter this summer, compared to last year. Parvovirus is a highly contagious infection that affects the gastrointestinal tract and white blood cells of puppies and unvaccinated dogs. Usually the gastrointestinal illness is seen in puppies or non-vaccinated dogs. However, the shelter has seen the numbers rise even in vaccinated adult dogs.
Stephanie Beiser, who works as a shelter attendant for Bay County Animal Services, said this isn't an isolated incident.
"Saginaw has also dealt with several cases recently. We watched some of the veterinary boards online pretty closely and it seems like there's hot spots all over the country and big cities. Especially just because the number of strays are so much higher," she explained.
Beiser said they are still waiting to hear from veterinary officials to find out why those cases are rising.
"We don't know yet if this is due to a mutation of the virus, there could be a a new strain of parvo that the vaccines aren't covering, or if we're simply seeing adult dogs that haven't been fully vaccinated at some point in their lives."
Officials at Animal Services said this is a "public" issue and recommends dogs be up-to-date with parvo vaccinations, keep them away from other dogs and to avoid taking your dogs to public areas or doggie daycares at least until this fall.
