Owners warned to vaccinate dogs against killer disease

Six cases of Canine Parvovirus, have emerged in Middlesbrough in recent weeks.

Parvo causes severe diarrhoea and intestinal bleeding in pets and proves fatal in half of cases - whether or not veterinary treatment is sought.

Councillor Barry Coppinger, Middlesbrough Council's executive member for public protection, said: "We are extremely concerned that this terrible virus could spread throughout Middlesbrough's dog population, contaminate the local environment and put other dogs at risk.

"We would urge all dog owners who haven't inoculated their dogs, to do so quickly and to ensure they are not let out on their own.

"One infected stray dog could spread the disease to many others and contaminate a wide area in a very short time.''

Lloyd Oxley, of the Bridge Veterinary Group, Middlesbrough, said: "Although Canine Parvovirus has been present in the UK for a number of years and vaccination has been effective in controlling the condition, recently we have seen an increase in the number of cases brought in for treatment.''

"This appears to be a Teesside-wide problem in dogs that are unvaccinated and with lapsed boosters.

Parvo is a virulent, infectious and environmentally stable agent that is fatal in more than 50 per cent of animals infected.

"Owners must act in a responsible way and have their dogs vaccinated and boosted annually, both for their pets' welfare and that of other animals in the region, or we will repeat the decimation seen in the 1970s.''

Earlier this year, Middlesbrough Council received the rarely awarded Phyllis Mayer Argus Medal for work done in the borough to cut the number of strays.

The figures have been slashed to zero through microchipping and advertising recovered canine runaways on posters and a special website.

The Phyllis Mayer Argus Medal was presented to Paul Robertson, the council's principal environmental health officer, by the National Canine Defence for distinguished service for dogs.