Veterinarians warn of possible parvovirus outbreak in Manitoba

A Winnipeg pet rescue is putting out a warning to dog owners across the city about a possible parvovirus outbreak in the province.

Save A Dog Network says there have been dozens of cases in Manitoba.

"This is a very hard strain that we're dealing with," said Katie Powell, the founder of Save A Dog Network Canada.

"There's been dozens of cases in the last few weeks where puppies have not even made it to the vet, and they're dying up north without access to veterinary care."

The virus affecting dogs is highly contagious and is sometimes deadly.

Veterinarian Nour Eissa with Kenaston Veterinary Hospital said it can be very difficult to treat, especially in the later stages.

"We need to do a lot of supportive care, or call it intensive care with IV fluids."

Three dogs with parvovirus have come into the veterinary hospital over the last week, he said,

Other veterinary hospitals in the city are also treating infected dogs, leading Eissa to believe there may be an outbreak across Manitoba.

However, the province is unable to definitively say whether that’s the case.

A provincial spokesperson told CTV News Winnipeg the number of parvovirus cases is not tracked in Manitoba, so they're unable to say if there is an outbreak in the north or here in Winnipeg.

The spokesperson said the province has collaborated with the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association and willing partners, including the Winnipeg Humane Society, to develop and encourage a community vaccinator program that will make it possible for interested remote and First Nation communities to have lay people trained to work with veterinarians and provide vaccination services that have historically not been possible.

“This program is in its early stages and is expected help to mitigate these issues in the future in communities that participate,” the spokesperson said.

Currently, there is no cure for parvovirus, and intensive treatments can cost thousands of dollars per animal – a major burden for rescues like Save A Dog Network Canada.

"James (the dog) has been in hospital for four days. He's accumulated almost $2,000 in bills, and he's still not out of the woods," said Powell.

"He currently has a feeding tube in his nose and he's on antibiotics, IV fluids - a lot of supportive care because there is no cure for parvo. What you have to do is, you have to support the puppy through the process and hope that the immune system is strong enough to survive the virus."

But Dr. Eissa said it is far better to prevent the virus from infecting the dog in the first place.

Pet owners need to keep their puppies vaccinated and ensure their dog vaccinations stay up to date, he said.