Shari Mayers wasn’t taking any chances with her beloved Winston, a 12-year-old long-haired Chihuahua, who never goes outside.
Mayers brought Winston to a one-day canine parvovirus vaccination clinic set up in a ground-floor unit at 333 Glengarry Ave., following an outbreak of the deadly illness.
“This is amazing,” Mayers said while attending the clinic Saturday morning. “(I was) extremely worried.”
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Mayers said she vaccinated her other dog Bleu, a Shih Tzu mix, as soon as she heard about the parvovirus breakout in her neighbourhood.
“As soon as I heard about the outbreak here (two hours later) we had our shots,” she said. “I had to borrow the money to get it.”
And even though Winston remains inside her apartment, Mayers wanted to get him vaccinated as well.
“Just in case my other one does come down with it because they say, even though they have the vaccine, it’s possible to contract it,” she said. “I don’t want to pass it to him.”
Staff from the Hamilton/Burlington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) travelled to Windsor to help vaccinate dogs in an attempt to stem the outbreak of canine parvovirus.
Animal welfare officials called in reinforcements to help fight the fast-moving dog virus in downtown Windsor that has killed at least 11 pets.
Veterinarian Dr. Stephanie Dam had already administered both parvovirus and rabies vaccinations to 14 dogs by 11 a.m. The clinic remained open until 5 p.m.
Dam said dog owners are often confused about how many parvovirus vaccinations their pet needs.
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She said puppies need three sets of vaccinations in their first year. A year later, another vaccination for parvovirus is required.
“After that, every three years will maintain their immunity to the virus,” Dam said.
The Windsor Star first reported Thursday there was an outbreak of canine parvovirus at the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corp.’s Glengarry Avenue apartment buildings.
In addition to the 11 fatalities, the Star has since received an unconfirmed report of two dog deaths outside the Glengarry area.
Particularly dangerous to puppies and unvaccinated pets, canine parvovirus is one of the most serious viruses affecting dogs.
It is extremely contagious and the death rate is high in untreated cases.
Symptoms include vomiting, fever, diarrhea, lethargy, lack of appetite and weight loss.
The virus spreads easily through contact with infected dogs, direct or indirect contact with feces from infected dogs or contact with other virus-contaminated surfaces.
Another resident, who only gave his name as Harold, said he was also concerned about his four-year-old husky/Rottweiler/lab mix Guabo.
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Harold was going to take Guabo to the vet but decided to take advantage of the free clinic.
“It’s not like I didn’t feel safe before but just to make sure, right,” Harold said, adding he took his pet to another location for a few days after hearing about the outbreak.
“I’m pretty careful. I don’t let him on the grass. I go across the road if I see there is another dog around.
Harold said he usually walks Guabo along Riverside Drive. They walk at least four miles (six to seven kilometres) every night.
“There I feel a lot safer. It’s much cleaner.”
Melanie Milczynski, Ontario’s chief animal welfare inspector, told the Star the province’s Animal Welfare Services received eight calls about the virus between Dec. 4 and Dec. 11, regarding a total of 15 infected dogs. She said 11 of those dogs have died.
“There was one case where there were eight puppies that were affected that unfortunately could not be treated,” Milczynski said. “There were three dogs that when the humane society was made aware had already died as a result of contracting the virus.”
She said animal services are currently caring for four more infected dogs.
Ontario’s Animal Services called in the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA because they have a special mobile license to operate a temporary vaccination facility.
Staff with the Windsor Essex County Humane Society assisted the SPCA staff members at the day-long clinic.
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