Protecting your pets from parvovirus

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Unseasonably warm temperatures are being blamed for a recent outbreak of parvovirus in Connecticut.

Several animal shelters there have been forced into emergency quarantine mode. But a veterinarian for the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society explained parvo is a hardy virus that survives even the coldest winters.

Dr. Katie Spaulding says the uptick is probably due to simply more dogs being taken outside in the warm weather. Unlike a rabies vaccine, a parvo vaccine isn't required by law, which is why some pet owners skip it. "That definitely is a factor for why we're seeing more parvo now, because the economy being what it is and people not having the money to spend on vaccines, we have seen an increase in incidents of parvo," said Spaulding.

If your pet shows any symptoms of parvo, including vomiting, diarrhea and abnormal drowsiness, you should act quickly. Parvovirus is fatal in roughly half of all cases.