CORNWALL, Ontario – For Meghan Illingworth and Tammy Dusome, the joy of having a new puppy quickly turned to the heartbreak of losing a family pet.
Within a month of adopting their four-month-old boxer-labrador mix pups from a local woman through a Facebook post offering free dogs, Bella and Whiskey died of parvovirus – a highly contagious, viral infection.
“Our kids are devastated, we pretty much got the puppies for them,” said Illingworth. “They were hyper and full of life.”
After seeing parvo symptoms within two weeks, such as vomiting and diarrhea, Dusom took four-month-old Bella to the SD&G SPCA in Cornwall.
“They didn’t even give her a chance – they just told me straight out they were putting her down,” said Dusome.
Illingworth took Whiskey shortly after and received the same grim diagnosis. She was also told that it could cost as much as $2,000 to treat a dog with the virus.
“We thought she would have a chance…but she didn’t,” said Illingworth.
Both women hope others learn from their experience.
“We were under the impression the dogs already had their shots, and were going to the vet next week,” said Illingworth.
“It happened so fast. Make sure to get your pets vaccinated,” added Dusome.
The two families live in the area of Walton Street and Lefebvre Avenue, in the city’s east-end – where a 14-month-old male collie-labrador puppy died of the viral disease in April.
“We’ve already cleaned our houses and poured a solution with bleach on our lawns,” said Dusome.
In 2014, parvo swept across the city keeping pet owners on high alert. One Cornwall animal hospital had reported seeing dozens of puppies with early symptoms of the virus.
“In general, there’s definitely a higher than usual amount of parvovirus cases in Cornwall,” said Dr. Ashley Virag of the St. Lawrence Valley Animal Hospital in an interview with Seaway News.
She described the disease as “lethal.”
Virag encourages dog owners to start vaccinating their puppies at eight weeks of age. The veterinarian believes the city’s unemployment rate is reflected in the number of animals that cannot be treated due to “cost concerns.”
According to the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA), parvovirus is a serious and potentially fatal condition that attacks the gastrointestinal tract and immune system of puppies and dogs, causing severe vomiting and diarrhea.
