An Edinburgh woman has warned other dog owners to be wary after her puppy was diagnosed with parvovirus.
Caroline MacIntyre told Edinburgh Live of her hellish ordeal after her nine month old dog, Alfie, was taken into the vets in a critical condition last Sunday.
After becoming unwell, Alfie, a Biewer Yorkshire Terrier, quickly deteriorated and was diagnosed with the disease that can prove extremely dangerous or even fatal for younger dogs.
Even with vaccinations, the disease can still be caught by dogs if they are in close contact with another animal or through eating other dogs waste that may have been left on pavements or in parks.
Since Alfie's diagnosis, Caroline has warned other owners to be extremely careful of the amount of dogs who have not been vaccinated during lockdown that could be carrying the disease.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Caroline said:
"The vets said they are extremely concerned about the amount of puppies bought over lockdown and not been vaccinated hence me trying to put the word out there.
"It took numerous tests but eventually the vet confirmed Alfie has parvovirus. I had never even heard of this virus ,hopefully I caught it in time and praying he will pull through."
Caroline also urged owners to pick up after their pets, as heavy concentrations of the virus can be found in a dogs stool, which is how she believed Alfie contracted parvovirus.
She added: "In the last week I have learnt so much about this virus, and I am trying to let everyone know, if anyone sees anyone else leaving their dog mess to pick it up, this is fatal to other dogs.
"My puppy was fully vaccinated and this is extremely rare but it can happen, he didn’t eat anything just a fraction that was on his paw whilst he was running in the park, that's all it takes."
