Local groups educating residents on parvovirus – February 21, 2011

Local groups educating residents on parvovirus, its harmful effects on pets

Published: Monday, February 21, 2011
By ALEX VENET
Special to The Oakland Press

In order to prevent more dog deaths this year, Pontiac’s Project Hope and The Animal Care network are educating and reaching out to metro residents on parvovirus and the devastating effects it can have on pets.

The non-profit metro organizations are geared toward helping pet owners who are unable to afford emergency care themselves, and are providing owners with low-cost emergency care treatment for their pets.

Outreach clinics Project Hope and All About Animals are offering emergency care for animals affected by the parvovirus.

Project Hope is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. The clinic is located on 1111 Joslyn Road in Pontiac, and charges $10 per vaccine.

All About Animals is open from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. The clinic is located at 2660 on Auburn Road in Suite 700, in Auburn Hills, and charges $15 per vaccine.

“For $10, you can get a series of vaccines,” said Pat Buzynski, whose weekend clinic, Project Hope, is preparing for the springtime parvovirus rush.

“A grown dog needs more than one vaccine,” Buzynski warned owners who may have had their pet vaccinated before. “One shot as a puppy is not always enough.”

The Animal Care Network, a non-profit animal care outreach program that operates through the Metro Detroit area, will be hosting an emergency care day, where dogs can get their vaccinations, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, at Pontiac’s local rental hall Centerstage, located at 536 N. Perry Road.

The parvovirus is a disease that can be particularly devastating for puppies, or even older dogs that have not been regularly vaccinated. Symptoms of the parvovirus in dogs can include a loss of appetite and energy, and incidences of fever and foul-smelling or bloody diarrhea.

The virus is more commonly spread in the spring and summer, when people and animals are outside and more likely to spread an infected dog’s feces by shoes, tires or other forms of contact. The Animal Care Network has been active in the metro Area since its foundation in 1994. It relies on private donations to continue its spaying and neutering programs, and its adoptions programs to find homes for homeless pets.

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