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| No one wants to be infected with a disease. But a preventable disease? We can do something about that. |
Canine and feline parvovirus are infectious diseases that
cause severe illness, pain and suffering in dogs and cats. The good news is
they are preventable with vaccination. The bad news is that not everyone
vaccinates their pets.
Colleagues Dr Mark Kelman and Professor Michael Ward are
working on a project to help kick parvo, but they need the support of the
Australian veterinary profession.
According to Mark:
The goal of the project is see if we can drastically reduce Parvo cases, by first understanding where exactly they are occurring, then gather data on what works to bring them under control, then focusing on intervention or prevention of outbreaks, one area at a time, and ultimately nationwide.My thought is that Parvo is as much a social disease as it is a biological one and if we can vaccinate all the right puppies in the right places at the right time then we can prevent a lot of suffering and maybe bring this disease under control. Yes it's a big project. To change this disease we need to change how we treat it.
The first step which we have just undertaken is a survey of the WHOLE Australian vet profession - all vets working in companion animal practice (whether you see Parvo or not). Please can YOU fill in the survey (should take most vets less than 10 mins to complete) and help us understand more about Parvo and where it does and doesn't occur in Australia.
The AVA has emailed their entire list of members and non-member vets. Half of the vet boards have also emailed members.If you haven't seen this email with the survey link, from the AVA yet, then please email me at kelmanscientific [at] gmail.com and I will send you a survey link. The survey is only for registered vets so we aren't publishing the link. They survey is also only open for a limited time so please fill it in now when you have 10 minutes to help.
The other thing you can do to help is to please SHARE this message on your facebook or with other vet friends, particularly those in Parvo areas but also those who aren't. And talk to your colleagues about it too, especially those in Parvo areas. It's a big mission and everyone bit of support helps.
If everyone works together then I truly believe we can change the world for this disease.
#helpmakeparvohistory
Anyone who
has seen disease causes by these viruses knows just how miserable they make
animals. Knowing where parvo occurs is important in effectively targeting these
viruses and reducing the spread.
If you’re
not a vet, you can help by asking your vet to complete the survey, and ensuring
your pets are vaccinated, especially puppies and kittens as they are particularly vulnerable.
Let’s kick
parvovirus into the void where it belongs.
