Infection protection

Hi peeps

Another query for the Think Tank….I live in Spain but a vet in Gibraltar this week told us there is a new Parvo strain which the vaccine does not yet protect against.

I don’t know if this is true to the UK but do you have any news on this?

And is there any way we can protect our dogs in the meantime aside from the usual disinfectants that kill off this bacteria?

Donna Saunders, The Dog House, Spain

Richard Allport, vet, advises...

Well, unless there is a totally new strain I haven’t yet heard of, this isn’t true. About four years ago a new strain of Parvo was isolated (CPV-2 – also known as 2c or F strain), but the existing vaccines work perfectly well against this strain. I haven’t yet heard of any other ‘new’ strain. However, as always, when this new strain was discovered, stories were soon perpetrated on the internet that a new ‘killer strain’ of Parvovirus was around that existing vaccines weren’t effective against.

Whilst it’s true that CPV-2 is more likely to cause serious illness than the original strain, existing vaccines are perfectly effective protecting against it.

I am pleased that you mention using disinfectants as a preventive agent. I think we forget that - as well as vaccination – regular disinfection of food preparation areas, floors, feeding bowls and toys with a safe brand of disinfectant (such as Zoflora), is an important way of protecting dogs against serious bacterial and viral diseases.