SEATTLE — Employees at a Renton animal hospital are urging dog owners to vaccinate and clean up after their pets after linking a local park to a surge of a potentially deadly canine virus, which killed one Boston terrier last month.
The terrier was among at least three dogs who visited Petrovitsky Park near Renton within the last month and later tested positive for “parvo” — canine parvovirus, said Alecia Dolman, a manager at Happy Tails Animal Hospital. She said the virus, which can be contagious, leads to vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and sometimes death.
The hospital, about four miles east of the park, has seen 11 cases of parvo since the facility opened in August, Dolman said. Animal hospitals typically see one or two cases per year, she added.
“It takes a toll not only on my staff but these pet owners,” Dolman said. “Something needs to be done about the park and about people vaccinating their pets.”
A 4-year-old Boston terrier died immediately after giving birth at Happy Tails, Dolman said. The necropsy revealed the “momma dog” was infected with parvo, she said.
The next day, the dog’s owners brought in their second dog, another Boston terrier, who also tested positive for the virus. Happy Tails staff administered a parvo treatment serum to the second dog, who quickly recovered after being lethargic for days, Dolman said.
Neither dog had been vaccinated against parvo, said Happy Tails Animal Hospital CEO Raman Mann.
“The only places that they had been to was that dog park,” Dolman said.
Representatives for the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, which manages Petrovitsky Park, did not respond Monday to The Seattle Times’ inquiries about the park
Dogs that haven’t been vaccinated against the virus can easily contract it by sniffing an infected dog’s poop or sharing kennels or food with a parvo-positive dog, she said.
Pet owners can prevent spreading the virus by picking up pet waste, vaccinating their dogs regularly and keeping them indoors or taking them to the veterinarian if they’re exhibiting symptoms, Dolman said.
While some veterinarians recommend dogs receive parvo vaccinations every three years, dogs that socialize regularly with others should be vaccinated annually, Mann said.
