It seems that the rising heat is causing more of an issue than the norm in our pets. We all know that the summer heat can cause dehydration in our pets very fast and also that our pups can burn their paws on the hot concrete. But what about the flies?
Dr. Clarence Bagshaw, DVM, is the owner of Edgefield Veterinary Clinic in Edgefield, South Carolina and is also a part-time vet for the SPCA Albrecht Center and he has been studying flies. Dr. Bagshaw has noticed a certain correlation between illness and the fly population in the spring and fall. He has hypothesized that flies could be a vector for the Parvovirus, which is a deadly disease in puppies.
Bagshaw studied flies that were collected from 38 different shelters from Aiken, South Carolina down to Florida and as far north as Rhode Island. His findings show that in 92 percent of the shelters that tested positive for Parvovirus, the shelters had direct open access to the outdoors through means of the guillotine door or other types of doggy doors. Only 22 percent of all closed shelters, where the dogs were kept entirely indoors, tested positive for the Parvovirus.
Dr. Bagshaw’s findings are part of the reason why new up-to-date and state-of-the-art shelters are being built as closed designs. This shows that there is a greater need for volunteers to get the dogs out to walk and play and most importantly, scoop and bag when the dog eliminates.
Parvovirus can live for up to a year in an environment and is highly contagious. Flies are not the only way that it can be spread, and up until recently, the thought was that it was only spread in dog to dog contact.
So remember, while new puppies are adorable; make sure that your dogs are completely vaccinated before showing them off to others.
Call Terry Today @ 706-714-1100
Source:
Aiken Standard
Dr. Clarence Bagshaw, DVM, is the owner of Edgefield Veterinary Clinic in Edgefield, South Carolina and is also a part-time vet for the SPCA Albrecht Center and he has been studying flies. Dr. Bagshaw has noticed a certain correlation between illness and the fly population in the spring and fall. He has hypothesized that flies could be a vector for the Parvovirus, which is a deadly disease in puppies.
Bagshaw studied flies that were collected from 38 different shelters from Aiken, South Carolina down to Florida and as far north as Rhode Island. His findings show that in 92 percent of the shelters that tested positive for Parvovirus, the shelters had direct open access to the outdoors through means of the guillotine door or other types of doggy doors. Only 22 percent of all closed shelters, where the dogs were kept entirely indoors, tested positive for the Parvovirus.
Dr. Bagshaw’s findings are part of the reason why new up-to-date and state-of-the-art shelters are being built as closed designs. This shows that there is a greater need for volunteers to get the dogs out to walk and play and most importantly, scoop and bag when the dog eliminates.
Parvovirus can live for up to a year in an environment and is highly contagious. Flies are not the only way that it can be spread, and up until recently, the thought was that it was only spread in dog to dog contact.
So remember, while new puppies are adorable; make sure that your dogs are completely vaccinated before showing them off to others.
Call Terry Today @ 706-714-1100
Source:
Aiken Standard
RSS Feed
