Sunderland dog owner and vet warn about rise in cases of deadly parvovirus after family pet left 'one hour from death'

The virus affects the the intestine and white blood cells, leading to vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and lethargy and is fatal in over 90 per cent of untreated cases.

One lucky survivor is Labrador Spaniel cross, Freddie, three, who became unwell over Christmas after walking on Tunstall Hills.

Owner, Graeme Clark, 47, a financial consultant from Ashbrooke, said: “On Christmas Eve we noticed some sick in the garden and on Christmas Day Freddie didn’t eat his dinner or play with his toys.

"On Boxing Day he started to get saliva coming from his mouth and was shaking and so we took him to the emergency vets in Gateshead. He was given an anti-sickness injection and re-hydrated but after getting home he continued to be sick and his saliva looked like it contained blood and so he was then taken to the animal hospital in Boldon where he tested positive for parvovirus.

"The vet said he didn’t think he would make it.”

After being given intravenous fluids and antibiotics, to stave of additional infection, Freddie was moved to an isolation room and Graeme, wife Alison and 13-year-old-daughter Amber were left to “wait and see if he would pull through”.

Graeme added: “As we left the hospital, Freddie looked up, which I thought was a good sign. The vet called at 10am the next morning to say Freddie was responding well and by New Year’s Eve we were able to bring him home.

"It was a close call as the vet said without treatment, Freddie was an hour from death.”

After Freddie’s sister-in-law, Marie Gulliver, revealed her friend’s dog had also contracted the virus over Christmas, Graeme wants other dog owners to be aware of a potential rise in cases.

It’s a sentiment shared by Roker Park Veterinary Centre who posted a message on their Facebook Page about a worrying rise in cases and the need for dogs to be vaccinated.

Practice owner Rory Thomson said: “I’ve been working in small animal veterinary practices as a surgeon for 12-and-a-half years and not seen a single case of parvovirus until two months ago. Since then I’ve seen five cases in the Sunderland area and I’m aware other practices are also seeing large numbers at present.

"The cases start with vomiting, some of which are unresponsive to anti-sickness medication, with diarrhoea a couple of days later. This is making it very difficult to differentiate the seasonal canine illnesses we typically see at this time of year.

"Due to difficulties associated with getting routine booster vaccinations during Covid, there’s a higher than usual number of dogs whose booster vaccinations have lapsed and are no longer fully protected.

"I strongly advise anyone who has a dog that’s not up to date with annual vaccinations to contact their veterinary practice.”

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The virus is spread by dog faeces which “can survive in the environment for years”.

Veterinary nurse, Rachel Gallagher, added: “The rise in cases is extremely worrying. It’s spread through faeces and so it’s really important owners clean-up their pet’s poo, although there’s still a risk from a dog sniffing a contaminated area.”