Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease that can produce a life-threatening illness. 

The virus attacks, rapidly dividing cells in a dog’s body, most severely affecting the intestinal tract.

Canobolas Family Pet Hospital vet, Dr Keep, said it was “heartbreaking” to watch an animal die from a disease that was preventable. 

“If you keep up to date with vaccinations, get them on time, with no gaps then  99.999 per cent of the time the dog will not contract parvo,” she said. 

Parvovirus stays within the earth for an unknown period of time, and can be tracked from one place to another via shoes, or car tyres.

While Dr Keep said most of the 10 dogs treated at the surgery in the last two weeks had been from east Orange, it was important all pet owners in Orange did not become complacent. 

Dogs must be vaccinated at 6, 9 and 12 weeks, with a booster shot every 12 months to be protected from the deadly disease.

Dr Keep said the cost of the vaccinations paled against the cost of treatment to save an infected dogs’ life. 

“It’s extremely cheap compared to treatment and there is no guarantee the treatment will work,” she said.

Luckily, the 10 dogs brought to the surgery were all treated early and survived the disease, she said. 

“It can happen within hours, the dog could be fine in the morning, you go to work and come home to a dead dog,” she said. 

Dr Keep advised people with puppies to keep the dogs home until two weeks after their 12 week old injections to decrease the risk of infection. 

She said dog owners should be mindful of where visitors had been and dog owners need to be mindful of tracking the virus into the home. 

The only chemical that can kill the virus is bleach, she says. 

Dr Keep suspected the recent heavy rain had caused the soil to become loose and travel between backyards to cause the sudden outbreak of the infectious disease. 

nicole.kuter@fairfaxmedia.com.au