Two dogs in the Halifax region had to be euthanized a few weeks ago after suffering from a rare and contagious virus, and a Dartmouth animal clinic says there may be a risk to unvaccinated dogs that may have come in contact with the dogs.
The virus is called canine distemper virus. Metro Animal Emergency Clinic, where the dogs were brought to last month, wrote about the matter in a post on its Facebook page on Wednesday.
The dogs were part of two different families and were not vaccinated before being imported from Cuba. The clinic isn’t releasing many details to protect the families’ privacy.
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Dr. Mike Howlett, an associate veterinarian at Tantallon Veterinary Hospital, said that many dogs in Nova Scotia have already been vaccinated, so the virus is rare for them.
“It’s usually spread from coughing or sneezing, so if your dogs have been playing, running in a dog park or common dog area, they’re more at risk for developing the disease if they’re not vaccinated,” he said.
The mortality rate can be about 50 per cent in dogs with no protection, Howlett said.
Young, old, and sick dogs are particularly at risk. Cats, skunks, and raccoons can contract the virus but humans don’t.
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Howlett said that the virus presents itself in dogs in different ways, but there are a few common signs: “Runny eyes, goopy eyes, sneezing — that can go away, and the scary ones can happen a couple of weeks later when they have neurological signs.”
If an owner believes a pet has the virus, the pet should be isolated, and professional help should be sought, but the key is to vaccinate pets regularly, he said.