A seriously ill pet dog was killed in Unalaska this weekend. Deputy Chief Jennifer Shockley says the dog is suspected to have Canine Parvovirus (CPV). And she is not aware of any previous outbreaks of the disease on the island.
CPV is an extremely contagious, life-threatening viral disease.
“Parvovirus can remain viable in the environment for months or even years,” Shockley said.
Symptoms of the disease include lethargy; vomiting; bloody diarrhea; and loss of interest in food and water. The progression of symptoms typically takes three to seven days.
Shockley says experts think CPV can be transmitted to dogs from cats and that’s how this dog could have gotten sick.
“We do have a pretty significant feral cat population especially in the downtown area and especially around some of the processing plants, so its possible that a dog here in town wasn’t vaccinated and has any kind of association with cats could have been transmitted that way.
However, CPV is most frequently contracted when dogs ingest contaminated feces, but sometimes sniffing the infected poop can be enough. Unvaccinated dogs of all ages are at risk although puppies are especially susceptible; the disease does not affect humans or cats. Veterinarian David Colwell advises that any pet vaccinated at the Aleutian Pet Care Clinic in the last 12 to 16 months has received a CPV vaccination.
Those who do not know their pet’s vaccination status or need a vaccine should call The Unalaska Department of Public Safety. DPS urges dog owners to be attentive to the health of their pets and isolate animals that appear to be infected. Early stage CPV is treatable.
Tentatively, the next veterinary visit to Unalaska is in early July.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated that the killed dog had CPV. Although the dog expressed symptoms of the disease, it was not conclusively diagnosed through the testing of a blood or stool sample.
