The consequences of not vaccinating pets
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Trevor – dog – Nottingham
Twelve-week-old Trevor had only been with his new owner, Courtney Laird, for a few days before she took him to be vaccinated. After booking the appointment, she became worried about him. He seemed subdued, but Courtney put this down to unfamiliar surroundings.
Trevor then started being sick and had diarrhoea. Courtney was devastated when the vets said he was too ill to be vaccinated and diagnosed the potentially deadly disease parvovirus.
He was admitted to Nottingham PDSA Pet Hospital for emergency treatment, where vets gave a grave prognosis.
Courtney said: “Trevor was bought as a gift for me and my eight-year-old son, Jayden. Looking back, he didn’t seem right from day one. I’d made an appointment for his vaccinations, and by the time I got him there, he’d gone downhill very quickly; I knew something was seriously wrong.
The vet team battled to save the young pup’s life. His condition deteriorated further as the disease took hold. Trevor was placed in an isolation kennel to prevent spreading the disease to other pets, and needed intensive nursing. He was suffering from dehydration and a dangerously high temperature, as the sickness and bloody diarrhoea continued to take its toll. Trevor was put on a drip and given fluids, and other medication including pain relief, to support him while his immune system fought the virus.
PDSA Senior Vet Flo Morrison said: “Sadly there is no cure for parvovirus and it was touch-and-go for Trevor. He received intensive care for four days. As parvo is highly contagious, barrier nursing techniques were used to prevent the virus from spreading to other pets. He was syringe-fed to help to keep his strength up – and despite being so desperately ill, he always managed to wag his tail when staff tended to him.
“Thankfully, Trevor’s condition started to improve and he was able to go home once he was eating normally and his symptoms had subsided. He is very lucky to still be here – tragically not all dogs make it. A simple vaccination is the answer, and can be the difference between life and death.”
Odin – cat – Liverpool
In some cases, Cat Flu may only cause flu-like symptoms, but the severest strains of the virus can quickly develop into potentially deadly cases, especially for young kittens and geriatric cats.
A tiny kitten nicknamed Odin was left fighting the disease, suffering with painful, ulcerated eyes and a snotty nose.
Odin and the rest of his litter were infected with cat flu, and Odin’s eye was so badly affected, it ruptured. He was just 8 weeks old and had to be taken to surgery for a delicate operation to remove his eye.
PDSA Vet Karla Lemmer says, “Odin was a very sad case and despite our best efforts, we were unable to save his eye. Thankfully, he was strong enough to survive the surgery and is adapting well. Had his mum been vaccinated, his suffering, and the suffering of the rest of the litter, would have likely been prevented. This is why we’re so passionate about vaccination at PDSA.”
Thankfully, Odin overcame the worst of the disease but sadly, he will remain a carrier of cat flu for life. Stressful events such as moving house, new pets coming into the home, or other illnesses could trigger a relapse. PDSA is urging owners to vaccinate their pets and protect them from suffering from preventable diseases.
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