‘Potential for this to spread is huge’: Parvovirus outbreak alarms pet owners in London housing complex

Multiple dogs have died from a parvovirus outbreak, with animal welfare charity calling for immediate action to prevent the virus spread. Reta Ismail reports.

Pet owners in two community housing buildings on Wharncliffe Road North are on edge after at least two dogs contracted parvovirus and were euthanized.

“I’m a little bit more worried,” said Carol Roots, a dog owner who lives in one of the buildings. “But my plan is to get Dane vaccinated very soon.”

Dane is among roughly 100 dogs living in the two buildings managed by London & Middlesex Community Housing.

Progressive Animal Welfare Services (PAWS), a local animal welfare charity, is calling for immediate action to prevent further spread of the highly contagious virus.

“It’s so concerning. There is a large number of dogs in the building. Most of them are unvaccinated,” said Emily Birkner, fundraising initiatives manager at PAWS. “The potential for this to spread is huge.”

Parvovirus is a highly infectious disease that spreads easily from dog to dog, with symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. If left untreated, it can be fatal. In January, an outbreak in Windsor killed 25 dogs.

“Ultimately, we’re looking at about $250 to get your dog vaccinated,” Birkner said. “As this is a low-income housing area, that makes it inaccessible to the majority of the residents.”

Linda Armstrong, board chair of PAWS, said the key issue is accessibility.

“The issue is that we really need someone to come on site to do the vaccinations,” she said. “Transporting all these people and their possibly infected pets in a vehicle to another vet to potentially infect that clinic, it’s not a great plan.”

In the meantime, London & Middlesex Community Housing has posted notices in common areas and on every floor of the two buildings, urging tenants to take precautions.

“Treatment outside on the pavement, in the hallways... if we read the material, they want us to bleach the site,” said Paul Chisholm, CEO of the housing authority. “We know that’s not practical, so we’re trying to figure out how do we respond to this.”

Armstrong said she is now working with local veterinarians to coordinate on-site vaccinations as time remains critical.