By Margaret Maccoll
While the world battles the Covid-19 virus a Peregian Beach veterinarian is waging a war against the Canine Parvovirus that affects about 20,000 dogs a year in Australia and leads to the death of half of them.
About three years ago Dr Mark Kelman joined forces with a like-minded vet and a couple of dedicated pet-lovers to establish an organization, Paws for a Purpose, to help people with their pets.
“There are a lot of organisations that help pets but not many that assist people in need with their pets,” he said.
Paws for a Purpose assists dog owners who are vulnerable or homeless to vaccinate their pets against Parvovirus (Parvo) at heavily reduced cost.
Dr Kelman has just submitted his PhD thesis on the epidemiology of Parvovirus and is keen to reduce the incidence of the virus.
“Socio-economic issues are the biggest risk factor for Parvo, we found,” he said.
“One of the reasons it spreads is people not vaccinating.”
“A lot of animals are euthanized in low socio-economic areas because people can’t afford the treatment, and their puppies caught Parvo in the first place because they couldn’t afford to vaccinate.
“The cost is high for treatment. It costs, on average $1500, but can be as high as $7000 to treat a dog for Parvo. If you can’t afford to vaccinate, you can’t afford the treatment.”
Dr Kelman said about 25 per cent of dogs affected by Parvo are euthanized.
Parvo is a highly infectious disease that causes gastrointestinal symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea and death. It attacks the lining of the intestines and tissues of the immune system such as bone marrow and lymph tissue. The damaged immune system cells are then unable to produce enough white blood cells needed to fight off infections.
The virus is transferred through diarrhea and can survive in the environment for up to a year. The virus can be picked up on people’s shoes or on dogs’ paws on a walk through the park.
Part of Dr Kelman’s research has shown that the disease is harbored in the wild dog populations but we still don’t know if these dogs are spreading disease to our domestic dogs or catching it from domestic dogs, or both.
Paws for a Purpose runs vaccination programs in Parvo hotspots where there is a high incidence of the disease. These are either volunteer-run pop-up clinics, or utilise vouchers where eligible people such as pensioners can attend a participating vet clinic, for a heavily discounted vaccination to stop Parvo.In Queensland the first clinics have been held in Rockhampton with interest raised to hold them in Gympie and Mt Isa and other areas, Dr Kelman said. But Covid-19 restrictions have temporarily halted the operation of the clinics.
Dr Kelman said the clinics are held in collaboration with local councils and involve an array of volunteers including vets, veterinary nurses and dog lovers.
Paws for a Purpose fundraises through the sale of their premium beef dog treats that are produced at Caloundra, packed by Queensland social enterprise charities and sold at vet clinics and pet stores. Donations also help enable the charity to operate sustainably.
Dr Kelman hopes through their work to greatly reduce the incidence of Parvo or even eradicate it.
