One of the most dreaded emergencies we see is an illness called parvoviral enteritis: "parvo" for short.  Unfortunately, we had two young dogs in the hospital this weekend with parvo virus. The most common areas we see parvo puppies from are Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Catasauqua and Northampton.

The reason I dread this disease so much is that it is a preventable disease that mostly affects puppies.  It makes them very sick and painful and without intensive treatment, many puppies die.  Most of the time, we can make a preliminary diagnosis based on what the client tells us and what the puppy looks and smells like.  For pictures of a typical parvo puppy, look here. 

The disease is common in the environment, especially in areas where dogs are present in high densities, such as cities.  Dogs can walk through contaminated dirt, go home and lick their feet and get infected.  Usually within a few days they lose their appetite and can begin having extremely foul smelling diarrhea, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.  They often appear very uncomfortable and become dehydrated very quickly. 

With intensive care, they can often be saved and once recovered are immune to the disease.  Today's vaccinations are very effective at preventing parvo as long as boosters are given at appropriate times.  This is critical in the young dog. 

Please see your Lehigh Valley Veterinarian to get your puppy vaccinated for this deadly disease. 

For more information, and a detailed description of this disease, go to veterinarypartner.com.

We in the veterinary community know all too well what a foreign body is but many of you may not.  Basically it is something that is inside a pet's intestines that shouldn't be there and is something we see way too often.  An obstruction of the intestine often occurs when a dog or cat eats something other than food such as string, rocks, socks, underwear, toys, hair ties, nails, fishing hooks, knives, light bulbs and the list goes on and on.

Please try to keep these things out of reach of your pets; especially any of the young Retriever breeds! Unfortunately, when we see a vomiting Golden Retriever or Lab, they often need to be screened for intestinal obstructions.  Cats are also prone to eating things they shouldn't such as thread, small toys, and fishing lures. 

The most common symptom is vomiting.  Other symptoms include loss of appetite and lethargy.  A diagnosis can sometimes be difficult and may require multiple x rays, blood tests and even surgery.  Treatment is often surgical removal, although some small foreign bodies can be retrieved from the stomach with an endoscope.