Dunedin dog owners are being urged to vaccinate their pets against canine parvovirus, after a spike in local cases of the fatal condition.
In May and June, about 10 dogs with parvovirus were treated at the South Dunedin Veterinary Clinic.
Parvovirus vaccinations had to be updated annually and it was not just stray dogs which succumbed to the debilitating illness, practice manager Marie Hennessy said.
Treatment was only effective if administered early, within a day or two of the onset of symptoms, and young animals in particular were vulnerable to the disease.
Mrs Hennessy said owners should have their dogs checked at a veterinary clinic immediately if the animals became sick.
"Often, people will wait to see if their dog is any better the next day, but with parvovirus the animal could be far too weak by then," she said.
Vaccination was far cheaper than treatment, and the best way to ensure dogs were safe.
Mrs Hennessy said the spike in parvovirus cases appeared to be over, but the risk remained for dogs which had not been vaccinated in the past year.
The virus could remain in soil for "quite a while", she said.
"It goes through fits and starts.
"We won't see any cases for a while, then there will be another spike. Parvovirus tends to be the one that rears its head the most," Mrs Hennessy said.
Once a dog contracted the virus, it tended to present symptoms within three to 10 days, she said.
Dunedin City Council development services manager Kevin Thompson said he was not aware of any recent cases of parvovirus at the pound.
The council was notified of any problems by SPCA Otago staff, who were contracted to clean the pound and feed dogs at the facility.
SPCA Otago animal supervisor Donna Hurring said staff had not noticed any sickness among impounded dogs recently.
In May, Dunedin couple Dale Wedlock and Heather Gruppelaar bought a dog from the pound to save it from being euthanised.
But the American Staffordshire terrier became sick from parvovirus within a day of being adopted, costing Mr Wedlock and Ms Gruppelaar more than $1000 in life-saving treatment.
The St Clair couple hoped the council would start warning those adopting impounded dogs about parvovirus.
Even if dogs were not visibly sick when impounded, potential owners should be told about parvovirus, given the council could not provide any history of vaccinations, Mr Wedlock and Ms Gruppelaar said.
