How a parvovirus epidemic is afflicting dogs in Maharashtra's Amaravati

A severe outbreak of the highly contagious canine parvovirus in Maharashtra’s Amravati over the past month has become a cause for concern for pet lovers as well as animal rescue NGOs in the city, according to whom, anywhere between 17-20 cases are being reported on a daily basis.

The canine parvovirus is not typically airborne; it is spread primarily from dog to dog by coming in contact with contaminated faeces as well as other infected surfaces. The virus targets the intestinal tracts of canines—with puppies being more prone to contracting it. One of the main ways to prevent a dog from being affected with parvovirus is timely inoculation, which, animal NGOs in Armavati claim has not been carried out efficiently by the district administration. The virus—touted to have a 90 per cent mortality rate—does not have a cure, but dogs can be inoculated against it with the help of a vaccine.

Shubhamnath Sayanke, a para-veterinarian from the Amravati-based WASA Conservation organisation, says that over the span of the past month, his team has found almost 17-20 cases of dogs being affected by the parvovirus. “The cases are still increasing,” he said.

“There is no collective data to determine the exact number of canines that have been infected with the virus, but at the local government-run animal hospital, there are at least 25-30 cases coming in each day. We ourselves see anywhere between 17-20 cases per day. When we find the affected canines, our doctors treat them. We have counted at least 16 deaths that have happened so far during this outbreak.”

Most of the dogs that have been affected by the virus in Amravati are reportedly stray dogs. However, the risk of the virus being transmitted from these dogs, to household pets—as well as other stray dogs—is high.

Sayanke explains that similar to how a pandemic affects the human world every century or so, an outbreak of a virus in the dog world (such as canine distemper and others) is common every three to four years. “This is nature’s way of controlling the population of dogs,” he said.

According to him, the government-supervised vaccination programme for dogs has not been operative in Amravati for the last three to four years. “Everyone knows there is an outbreak that is happening right now…but there is only one government-run animal centre and another centre that we (WASA) run in Amravati. People only inform us about the condition of infected stray dogs once their symptoms already become serious. Although the mortality rate is very high for those canines who have been infected with the parvovirus, there are some golden hours, during which, if they receive timely treatment and medicine, then they would have some chances of surviving.”

He added that as a rule of thumb, puppies are usually administered their first dose of vaccine against the parvovirus when they are between three to four weeks of age, followed by the second dose between seven to eight weeks of age, and then by another booster shot. This process is then again repeated after a year.

The parvovirus—an infectious DNA virus that commonly causes severe illness in young and unvaccinated dogs—was discovered in 1967, and has, ever since, become a serious threat for canines all over the world, primarily due to the fact that the virus is hard to kill and “is shed in large quantities by dogs.” This is one of the main reasons (apart from its high transmissibility) why parvovirus vaccines are considered a core vaccine for dogs and puppies.

The virus is species-specific, meaning humans cannot contract the virus from dogs, or vice versa, although humans have their own version of the virus. However, one must be careful and tread with caution by wearing protective equipment while coming in contact with an infected dog since the virus can spread to other dogs via the human. Typically, a dog infected with parvovirus will exhibit symptoms within three to seven days of infection. In a few days, this is likely to escalate to severe vomiting and diarrhoea, and in most cases, likely to result in death if not treated in a timely and correct manner.

“If a puppy is hospitalised, given lots of supportive care, and monitored closely, the survival rate is around 75-80 per cent,” says PetMD.

“Survival is more difficult if the dog is not given veterinary attention quickly after showing clinical signs, or if the dog is not hospitalised with sufficient supportive care.”

Dr Manilal Valliyate, CEO of PETA India, says that both categories of canines—community dogs (strays) and companion dogs (pets)—are “equally susceptible” to the parvovirus. “As long as animals have taken their parvovirus vaccine, they are protected—but only to a certain extent,” he said. “It is not necessary that all animals who are vaccinated will have the same level of antibodies and protection. However, if a vaccinated canine is exposed to strong parvovirus infection, it means they are in the risk zone.”

He says that even disposing of faeces of an infected dog if done in a public space, can cause the infection to spread from one dog to another. “The contagious nature of the virus, along with its easy transmission, are two factors that make it a deadly disease. The mortality rate with parvovirus is usually very high because the virus affects the gastrointestinal system, which is why a severe infection can lead to continuous vommitting and foul-smelling diarrhoea. The latter is a classical sign of parvovirus. This causes dehydration and loss of excessive electrolytes. If the infection is serious, then the animal could even die within 48-72 hours from the onset of their infection.”

Dr Valliyate also said that since community animals come in continuous contact with each other, a few cases of parvovirus could soon lead to a severe outbreak.

“I think it’s very important that the district administration takes necessary actions in getting dogs in neighbouring areas vaccinated as well as to make sure with that public hygiene standards are being put into practice. Infected dogs should be immediately taken to a veterinary hospital and treated in an isolated ward. All the waste of infected animals should be properly disposed of.” He added: “There is an immediate requirement for the district administration to intervene immediately—even for those animals who are showing initial signs of the virus.”