They are taken from slightly more than 8100 vaccines given over the same period. I have not included more minor illnesses, like being off colour or having a lump for a few days after vaccination. While still uncommon, these are not usually a cause of great concern.

It’s also notable that in Adelaide serious reactions were only seen in dogs, and never in a cat, rabbit or ferret. Our location is relevant because vaccines vary around the world. For example, we do not give rabies or feline leukaemia virus vaccines, which may be why we haven’t seen feline injection site sarcoma (vaccine-associated sarcoma).

All of these dogs had normal physical exams prior to vaccination.

Facial Swelling & Vomiting

Molly came to us in 2016 as a 9-year-old Toy Poodle for her C5 vaccination. Ten minutes later, while still in the clinic, she started vomiting and then developed dramatic swelling of the face.

She was given injections of antihistamine and dexamethasone (a cortisone), and placed under observation. She did not need adrenaline and her signs improved over 10 minutes.

We felt the reaction was most likely due to the inactivated (adjuvanted) kennel cough component and for the next two years we gave an intranasal live kennel cough vaccine without incident. When the C5 was due again 3 years later, we gave the live C3 component with an antihistamine premed and all was well.

Sherlock is a Tenterfield Terrier who had his 16 week parvovirus vaccination in late 2020. This is also an inactivated vaccine. 90 minutes later, he developed facial swelling, and was rushed back. Once again, he responded to antihistamine and dexamethasone injections.

The picture above shows his facial swelling at the time and what he normally looks like.

The live parvovirus component of a regular C5 is very likely to be safe to give him when it’s due in late 2021. He must still be closely monitored, as should all animals for two hours after any vaccine.

Steroid Responsive Meningitis

Isabelle is the beagle pictured here. She came to us in late 2016 as a 10 month old dog, and was given live intranasal kennel cough vaccination. One day later she was yelping, and wouldn’t turn her head, with obvious neck stiffness.

Regular anti-inflammatory treatment seemed to do nothing and in fact she got slightly worse over the next 24 hours. Given the history, she was presumed to have steroid responsive meningitis-arteritis, an auto-immune disease well-known in Beagles.

Prednisolone was started and she made a rapid improvement. Since then, we still manage to safely vaccinate her using the regular C5 (inactivated kennel cough plus live C3).

Immune Mediated Haemolytic Anaemia

IMHA is a disease of severe and life-threatening anaemia you can read all about here. Molly came to us for her scheduled inactivated kennel cough vaccination in late 2020. Over the following three days, she became increasingly lethargic, and was brought back for a checkup.

Molly’s physical exam was unremarkable but a blood sample showed mild anaemia. Thanks to the fact that her owners had opted for wellness blood testing three days earlier, we knew this had just appeared. Further testing confirmed IMHA and she was immediately started on treatment.

As often happens, she got worse before she got better, but by day 7, her blood count was starting to increase again. Since then, we’ve been slowly reducing her drugs and monitoring her blood count. At the time of writing, she’s been off all medication for 3 weeks.

I advised her owners that as we can identify the vaccine involved (a benefit of 3-year vaccine programs), there’s a simple plan for the future. Kennel cough vaccination can be skipped, but if she really needs it, we’ll use the live intranasal. The most important vaccine (the live C3 against parvo, distemper and hepatitis) should be quite safe to continue.

A Summary

Of the four serious reactions, three were to inactivated or adjuvanted vaccines. This fits well with the literature. Live vaccines are known to cause fewer adverse effects.

Our reported rate of only 4 in 8000 is far lower than the reported rate of 0.3%. This is because I’ve only included the severe or life-threatening episodes. Of course, there could be others that we missed but I doubt it. At Walkerville we’re lucky to have a close relationship with our patients.

I believe it’s important to discuss the pros and cons of anything we do. To me, vaccines are just like any other treatment. You can choose to trust our judgement, but you’re always welcome to ask questions.

I’m grateful to the owners of these dogs for permission to discuss their cases and for the photos provided.

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Here you can find the latest information on the risk to Australian dogs and what you can do to reduce it.

Basic Facts About Leptospira

Leptospirosis is the disease caused by several related bacteria but particularly Leptospira interrogans (‘interrogans’ means ‘asking’ because they sometimes look like question marks).

It comes in many different varieties, but the two that matter most to Australian dogs are australis and copenhageni.

• Australis is found mainly in the coastal wet tropics of Australia from Mackay in Queensland through the Northern Territory and into Western Australia
• Copenhageni cases can be found in lower numbers but throughout Australia, with recent outbreaks recorded in Sydney and Melbourne

Both are spread via the urine of infected animals (especially rats) in water, soil or foods. Infection is more common in dogs living near wet areas.

Signs Of Leptospirosis

Many dogs infected with leptospira show no symptoms, though some will be passing the bacteria in their urine. Those that become unwell usually develop a fever, stop eating and might have vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.

More serious disease is caused by multisystemic organ failure. A classic sign of leptospirosis is the simultaneous appearance of liver and kidney damage, but eye or brain involvement is also possible, as is coughing up blood. Affected dogs commonly have yellow tissues, called jaundice.

Leptospirosis in Australia is unlike other countries due to the different varieties involved. When disease occurs here, it is extremely serious. Mortality rates exceed 50% for dogs with liver or kidney involvement.

How Common Is Leptospirosis?

In tropical northern Australia, leptospirosis is more common during the wet season of summer and autumn. In a North Queensland study, 40 dogs were diagnosed over a 5 year period. Risk factors were believed to include living in the cane-field regions, near dairy cattle or around rat populations.

In temperate southern Australia, the risk is generally lower, but in 2019 and 2020, hotspots were identified in some capital cities. Whether these represent better awareness of existing infection or new outbreaks only time will tell.

In Sydney, dogs have mainly been diagnosed in the inner-west from Newtown to Surry Hills, plus a case each in Balmain, Crows Nest and Paddington. In Melbourne, a few cases have been seen mainly in the eastern suburbs near Ringwood. Although numbers are hard to assess, we are probably talking about 20 in total.

Below is a recent study of dogs from shelters throughout Australia. These results should be viewed with caution as they may not be the dogs at greatest risk, especially in the tropics.

Which Dogs Need The Leptospirosis Vaccine

There are vaccines against both varieties of leptospira available in Australia. Whether these should be used is a matter of assessing the local risk.

In southern Western Australia and South Australia, there currently seems no reason to vaccinate unless travel is planned to an endemic area.

In Victoria, vaccination may be indicated in a few suburbs of Melbourne. However, case numbers have been low and sporadic, so please talk to your vet about the local situation at the time.

In New South Wales, vaccination is being recommended in a 5km radius around the suburbs mentioned above. Individual risks probably have a lot to do with the prevalence of rats in each suburb so once again, a discussion with your vet is a good idea. Outside of Sydney there may be hotspots, such as the north east coast but your vet will keep you informed.

In Queensland, vaccination is not commonly performed south of Sarina, near Mackay. Exceptions might be areas close to green cane cutting. Even to the north, the risk will depend on your dog’s lifestyle, but vaccination is generally a good idea.

Vets in the tropical Northern Territory almost all advise current leptospirosis vaccination.

Prevention Of Leptospirosis

Vaccination is important, but it’s not the only answer to prevention, mainly because australis and copenhageni are not the only strains present.

1. Prevent drinking from unclean water sources
2. Avoid dogs swimming in stagnant water
3. Control rats by eliminating food sources and nests (not by rat poison)

These guidelines are sensible everywhere, even in Perth or Adelaide. Not only do they prevent other illnesses, they insure us against the future. Lepto is an emerging disease and there’s no reason to think it won’t appear in unexpected places. For example, Switzerland (hardly a tropical country!) is currently battling the australis strain too.

Lastly, it’s important to mention that leptospirosis is also a serious disease of humans, though transmission from dogs is extremely unlikely. Most people probably catch it the same way they do, from water and soil contaminated with animal urine. Symptoms mimic those of any severe flu-like illness.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Miller, R. I., Ross, S. P., Sullivan, N. D., & Perkins, N. R. (2007). Clinical and epidemiological features of canine leptospirosis in North Queensland. Australian veterinary journal, 85(1‐2), 13-19

Zwijnenberg, R. J. G., Smythe, L. D., Symonds, M. L., Dohnt, M. F., & Toribio, J. A. (2008). Cross‐sectional study of canine leptospirosis in animal shelter populations in mainland Australia. Australian veterinary journal, 86(8), 317-323

Plus: Local media articles and veterinary websites from the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

A few years ago I started getting questions about a new cat viral outbreak called cat plague. Cat plague? I may have been seeing cats for 25 years, but this was news to me too.

A quick google and it all became clear: this is a new name for an old disease. It goes by all these names:

• Feline enteritis
• Panleucopaenia
• Feline parvovirus
• and now Cat plague

I’ve put those names in the rough order that we’ve used them over the years. I really like the fact that we’re starting to call it Parvo and really hate the name Cat plague.

What’s My Problem With Cat Plague?

If you look up the stories mentioning cat plague, you’ll see that these are the most sensational. They are quick to talk up a growing health scare but slow to offer useful advice. The name seems all part of the strategy.

Strange as it sounds, I don’t blame them. These groups are mostly animal rescue shelters battling on the front line of infectious disease. It’s just that their reality is not the reality of the average cat owner.

So from now on let’s call it feline parvovirus or parvo. I’ll tell you more about it, the signs of infection and how to prevent it. 

Can A Cat Get Parvo?

Cats have their own parvovirus that’s quite distinct from the famous dog one. Until recently, vets have avoided calling it by its true name. Before you start thinking there’s some Voldemort thing going on here, it’s just that we were afraid of causing confusion.

You’re smarter than that and we shouldn’t ever dumb down the truth. Especially when the two viruses have so much in common.

Can Cats Get Parvo From Dogs?

While it is true that cats can be infected by the dog virus, they don’t seem to get sick. There’s some concern that the cats might be spreading canine parvovirus around, but that’s as far as it goes. 

Vice versa is also true. There’s no evidence that feline parvo can be transmitted to dogs, and even if it does, the effects will be mild.

Cats actually get parvo from contaminated environments in exactly the same way dogs do. The virus is extremely hardy and can lie dormant for many months. 

What Are The Symptoms Of Cat Parvo?

The signs of parvo in cats are very similar to dogs. You might see:

• Lethargy and fever
• Vomiting
• Dehydration
• Severe diarrhoea (read other causes of diarrhoea in cats here)

Death is common in young kittens (50 years ago it was their leading cause of death). Most older cats survive with a combination of intravenous fluids and antibiotics.

But we almost never see it in adults. Here’s why…

Feline Parvo Vaccination

Dog parvovirus vaccines are well-known to be highly effective. Cat ones are even better.

It probably only takes one properly administered parvo shot to protect a cat for life. In Australia, the vaccine is part of the standard ’F3’. 

The only tricky part of parvo vaccination is the start. Due to interference from antibodies in the milk, it can take two or three doses before immunity is established in young kittens. 

Therefore, until a kitten or cat is fully immunised, they should be kept inside. 

If you find a stray, bring them straight in for a check. Your vet will probably be able to vaccinate, or if not, tell you when to do it. If getting a kitten from a breeder or shelter, they’ll have already been given vaccines so you just need to check when it’s next due.

The honest truth is that a well cared for cat has nothing to worry about. Sure, if vaccines are overdue it’s a different story. But otherwise, stories of ’cat plague’ may as well be coming from another planet.

Related: The Vaccinations Cats Need

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

“It’s because otherwise they fight so much that they get run down and die early.”

With the benefit of hindsight, this is pure folk wisdom. People could see that fighting was associated with sickness, but not yet why. Then, in 1986, hot on the heels of the discovery of the human AIDS virus, researchers in the USA put two and two together and found a feline AIDS virus in cats like these. We call it FIV.

What Is FIV?

FIV is Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and just to be very clear, it cannot infect humans. Also unlike its human relative, we know that it’s been around for a long time. Testament to this is its evolution into related viruses around the world:

• Africa (lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena)
• Asia: (Pallas’ cat)
• South America: (puma, jaguar, ocelot & more)

FIV is a retrovirus, which means it has an unusual trick: it reverse engineers a piece of DNA and inserts it into a cell’s own genome. Thus it hijacks the cell to start making copies of itself. That cell remains infected for life.

Problems come about because FIV has a preference for white blood cells. This means that over time it reduces the ability of the immune system to fight off infection.

How Contagious Is FIV?

FIV does not spread easily from cat to cat. In fact, transmission only usually occurs from deep bites during cat fights. Even then, a single bite is unlikely to result in infection.

Young fighting cats still have a reasonable chance of being virus negative. However, by the time a tomcat reaches six, it’s nearly certain he will have FIV if he hasn’t been kept inside. Infection rates are lower for females and desexed males, but still significant with outside access.

A cat with FIV almost never passes the virus to other cats in the house. That’s because cats that know each other rarely fight with the same intensity as cats who don’t.

Prevalence Of FIV Around The World

How common FIV is in cats depends on where you live:

The risk of infection is higher for males, older cats, and those who can go out. For example, FIV infects 15% of Australian cats over two years old who have outside access.

Beware vested interests (like vaccine manufacturers!) reporting higher rates. These are usually from groups of sick cats, or outlier studies not consistent with the mainstream.

Symptoms Of FIV

Infection with FIV results in three phases of infection:

1. Primary infection is when the virus first enters the body. Most people miss it, as it only shows vague signs like enlarged glands and lethargy.
2. Asymptomatic infection is the long phase (usually several years) when virus numbers remain low and there are no signs of illness.
3. Secondary infection occurs when virus begins to multiply quickly leading to suppression of the immune system.

Diseases associated with immune suppression from FIV in rough order include:

• Gingivitis and dental disease
• Anaemia
• Upper respiratory tract infections
• Bacterial infections like cellulitis or abscesses
• Gastrointestinal disease (e.g. diarrhoea)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Cancer, especially high grade B-cell lymphoma
• Central nervous system disease

Cats are a fundamentally healthy species. I begin to suspect FIV when I see cat with an unusual infection, an infection that seems worse than it should be, or a cat that gets repeated infections.

FIV Blood Tests

FIV is easily diagnosed in 10 minutes with a few drops of blood. Below are the published data for the three tests used in Australia:

Notice something? The first two tests are highly accurate, but the third has a low specificity. This means it is more likely to say a cat is infected when he isn’t (a false positive).

The gold standard is to use two different tests, but I avoid the SNAP test completely. It’s less reliable because it gives a positive result to cats who have been vaccinated. I’m always suspicious of a positive in any test within 6 months of vaccination, but the SNAP test stays positive for years.

FIV Vaccination

The good news is that there is an effective vaccine against FIV. I always get asked why we have a cat vaccine, but not a human one. The answer is that FIV, by virtue of its age, has five stable serotypes, whereas HIV is still quite changeable. You need something predictable on a virus’ surface for a vaccine to work.

I recommend the FIV vaccine for all cats with unsupervised access to outdoors, and also for indoor cats prone to escaping or living with positive cats. Cats and kittens require three shots in the first year, followed by a single annual booster. If I’m starting an adult cat who could have been in fights, I always blood test them first.

In another blog, I have published the percent of Adelaide cats receiving FIV vaccination. It tells a story of changing cat lifestyles.

It’s important not to over-hype the vaccine. We know it helps, but it’s not 100% effective. Therefore, we still want to reduce the number of fights any way we can. The simplest way is for an outside cat to be kept in from dinner until after sunrise. Or to become an inside cat!

Treatment Of FIV

The quality of an FIV-infected cat’s care has a big influence on disease progression and survival time.

The mainstay of FIV treatment is rapid intervention in any health problems as soon as they appear. Illnesses in these cats usually deteriorate very quickly. Therefore, owners of FIV-positive cats are educated to never ‘see how it goes’.

It’s also essential that FIV-positive cats are kept inside to prevent further unnecessary spread of the virus.

Prognosis & Life Expectancy

Most cats with FIV-related secondary infections respond very well to treatment. Owners of infected cats can expect to visit their vet more than usual, but as long as they do so, things generally go smoothly.

Of course, this is not always true, and we observe that the life expectancy of FIV-positive cats is a little less than uninfected cats. Eventually, something unexpected like lymphoma or seizures might happen. However, owners can expect most cats to live past 10 years of age before this happens.

Therefore, we never give up on a cat just because they have FIV. Knowing this should help you feel relaxed if we ever suggest the test. Getting the result is the key to enabling owners to look after their cat better.

What about adopting or rescuing an FIV-positive cat? Once again, never fear. With love and care, these disadvantaged cats can go from a short and bleak future to a comfortable old age.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

The truth is more complicated than that.

I’m not here to criticise: titre testing has an important role in protecting dogs (and cats- see below). But there are also some important myths and misunderstandings that need to be cleared up if you want to make an informed decision.

What Is Titre Testing?

Titre testing, or titer testing in the USA, is the use of antibody levels from a blood sample to decide if an animal needs vaccination or not. Instead of just giving vaccines at the scheduled intervals, it allows a vaccine to be skipped and avoids the risk of over-vaccination.

To explain, look at the graph which shows how immunity might be lost after a vaccine. To protect every dog, we need to give the booster when the first dogs start losing immunity. That could be where I’ve put the red arrow, even though at least 95% of dogs don’t need it yet. Up to now we’ve not been able to work out which dogs they are.

Titre testing could identify these dogs, and show that the others are OK.

You can see why this sounds great to many people, and why there’s a lot of excitement. We get so many enquiries that it’s time to explain titre tests properly.

The Benefits Of Titre Tests

Choosing titre testing is about weighing up the pros and cons.

Pro: Less Over-Vaccination

Over-vaccination is the idea that too many vaccines can cause illness. The point of titre tests is therefore to be able to see if a dog really needs a vaccine. Most of the time they don’t, but without a test you’re playing Russian roulette.

Do vaccines cause illness though? Most vets would say there isn’t enough of a problem to be concerned, but plenty of dog owners feel otherwise. If you want to explore this topic in more depth, I’ve written a whole article about vaccine reactions in pets.

Con: Reliability

You may have already wondered how we decide when a titre level is protective, and when it isn’t. You might then be surprised by these two points:

1. Titre levels have never been tested. Vaccines undergo challenge studies where real dogs are given real virus to show that they work, but ‘protective’ titre levels are only theoretical. We also don’t know what these titres mean for the newer strains of parvo. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they are wrong, just less reliable.
2. There are two arms of the immune system. Titre tests only measure antibody-based immunity. For some diseases, cell-mediated immunity is the more important, and so we are assuming that an adequate antibody titre means adequate cell-mediated immunity too. It’s probably true, but it’s still only an assumption.

Con: Cost

Titre tests need to be done at least as often as you would give the vaccine. That means annually for an annual vaccine or every 3 years for a triennial vaccine. Sadly, despite the new and cheaper VacciCheck kits, tests still cost significantly more than a vaccine

My concern is that this might make people stop vaccination but not keep up the essential regular titre testing over a dog’s lifetime.

Con: Most Dogs Still Need Vaccines

Titre tests are only available for parvovirus, distemper and hepatitis. However, social dogs in towns and cities in Australia need canine cough vaccination too (read about each disease by following the links).

Canine cough is common, and vaccination is always annual. In our clinic, we use a triennial parvovirus, distemper and hepatitis C3 vaccine and an annual canine cough vaccine to make it up to a C5. If a client chose to start titre testing, the only change would be that their dog may not need the C3 part of the vaccine every third year.

Titre Testing For Cats

Titre tests are also available for herpes, calicivirus and panleucopaenia in cats via Gribbles Veterinary Pathology in Australia. As there is no in-clinic test kit, prices are approximately double those of dogs.

When To Use Titre Tests

So what situations are best for titre tests? Certainly, the number one reason is for dogs and cats that have had genuine vaccine reactions in the past.

In practice, titre tests are mostly requested by people who want to avoid vaccination as much as possible. That’s OK: titre tests are a lot better than doing nothing at all.

Then there are the dogs with unknown histories, such as at shelters. They could be titre tested on arrival. However, as shelters always need to keep costs down, I’ll bet they’ll prefer to give a vaccine regardless.

However, for average dog owners, I generally find that once I explain what I’ve said here, they prefer to continue using vaccines. Remember, a triennial program already reduces the vaccine in question by two-thirds.

Lastly, I promise you that we’re just as happy for a dog owner to make any decision, if it’s an informed one. As long as you still bring your dog in for annual health checks, we’ll be happy vets.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

What Is Cat Flu?

1. Cat flu isn’t influenza or a cold, it’s either a herpesvirus or calicivirus
2. Symptoms include fever, not eating, and eye or respiratory infection
3. Many infected cats become virus carriers or have lifelong problems
4. Rarer conditions caused by cat flu include arthritis, gingivitis, eye damage, stillbirths & abortion

Now dive deeper.

A stray kitten was found in a backyard a few weeks ago. Like most people do, her finders never hesitated to give her a home. Straight away, however, they knew something was wrong.

That’s her pictured above and below. She’s obviously miserable, but it’s the second photo that shows what’s really going on. This is ‘cat flu’.

You probably diligently vaccinate your cat against flu but do you know what it is? Cat flu is nothing like what most people think. For a start, it’s not flu!

Common Symptoms Of Cat Flu

Cat flu just looks like a severe cold until you take a closer look. It causes:

• Fever, lethargy and not eating or drinking
• Clear or yellow-green discharge from the eyes and nose
• Sneezing, coughing and difficulty breathing (read the other causes of sneezing in cats here)
• Ulcers on the mouth, tongue and occasionally the eyes

But that’s not all. These nasty viruses sometimes do a lot more damage. Other important effects can be:

• Arthritis
• Viral pneumonia
• Stillbirth, abortion or birth defects

And yet, there’s still even more. Most of the time it doesn’t go away…

How Long Does Cat Flu Last?

For a simple, uncomplicated case of flu, a cat might be back to normal in seven days. However, in most cases, secondary bacterial infection of the eyes, nose, sinuses or chest increases both the severity and duration of the illness.

Cat flu is treated by:

• TLC, fluid and nutrition support
• Antibiotics and eye ointments for secondary infection
• Bathing and steaming to reduce buildup of secretions
• More TLC

Most of these cats will still make a full recovery, although they suffer quite a bit in the process. For many, though, and especially the young or neglected, long-term problems persist.

Long-Term Effects of Cat Flu

• Chronic rhinitis is a nasal infection that persists for life
• Stunted growth is common in infected kittens
• Stomatitis-gingivitis complex is a severe mouth infection
• Most cats who get infected will carry the virus for life

If there’s just one thing I want all cat owners to understand about flu, it’s this last point about carriers.

How Cats Catch Flu

Cat flu is spread in the saliva of apparently healthy carrier cats. Nearly every cat who got cat flu once will carry and spread the virus for life. Carriers are estimated to represent around 30% of all cats.

It’s not their fault. It’s up to all of us to know where the real risk is and stop it. Here’s what I do…

How I Prevent Cat Flu

The viruses spread both directly from cat to cat and indirectly via objects, people and the environment.

• I assume that every cat I see could be a carrier
• I wash my hands between each cat and change my coat regularly
• I use an isolation room for known infected cats
• I clean and disinfect all equipment after every cat I see
• I change my clothes when I get home
• I ask breeders to test their breeding stock for carriers
• I get my kittens from trusted sources like good breeders or the Animal Welfare League

• Read here how I vaccinate my cat annually against cat flu
• I never use substandard cat boarding

I hope now you understand why a good cattery never mixes cats or uses anything that can’t be disinfected.

I’m sorry if this all sounds a bit like a scare story. It’s all gospel truth but we’re in danger of forgetting how things once were. If you want to read more, visit an old page where I featured three cats with rare consequences of cat flu or here for other causes of mouth ulcers.

Related: Why Kittens Often Have Runny Eyes

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

Every dog owner’s worst nightmare is Parvovirus. This week the detection of a new strain in Australia was announced. Although there’s no reason to panic, here’s what vets and dog owners need to know.  

What Is Parvovirus?

Parvoviral enteritis is the disease caused by canine parvovirus. The virus attacks both the lining of the gut and the white blood cells, causing severe gastroenteritis and immune suppression.

What Are The Symptoms Of Parvovirus?

They are, usually in this order:

1. Fever, lethargy and not eating
2. Vomiting
3. Profuse watery diarrhoea sometimes with blood
4. Dehydration, septicaemia, and often death

From now on I’ll call it just ‘Parvo’. If you suspect your dog has parvo, see your vet ASAP or check this map for your nearest after hours emergency vet.

How Do Dogs Get Parvo?

The parvovirus is one of the toughest viruses we know; once a yard or park is infected, it can be dangerous for up to a year afterwards. It is passed in the vomit or faeces of dogs once they get infected.

Dogs get parvo by ingesting virus that probably gets on their paws, coat, food or water when in a contaminated area. If they have protective vaccination (see later), nothing more happens.

Dogs at risk are either:

• Never vaccinated
• Overdue for vaccination or under-vaccinated
• Not vaccinated against the correct viral strain
• In the window between loss of passive immunity and creating their own

This last group are worth explaining. Puppies get antibodies in colostrum, a special milk with is given in their first few days of life. These antibodies interfere with vaccination, which is why we have to give three parvo shots to puppies to be sure one will work.

During this window, there will always be a gap in immunity between when the mother’s antibodies stop being protective and when the vaccine antibodies are created. That’s why puppies in the middle of a course of vaccines still can’t be taken out.

Can Parvo Be Treated?

Yes, certainly. Death rates from adult dogs with parvo are probably only around 20%, rising to 80% for very young puppies.

Treatment starts with a diagnostic test. One of the findings from the Adelaide Uni researchers is that commonly used bedside tests may not be accurate for strain CPV-2c. Although this sounds very worrying, two things need to be said:

1. Treatment of parvo is supportive, via fluid therapy, antibiotics, electrolytes, antiemetics etc. In other words, we treat the symptoms. The diagnosis of parvo won’t usually change our treatment.
2. It looks like only some tests are giving negative results. CPV-2c has been in Europe since 2000 and I would be very surprised if most tests aren’t going to be accurate, given that they are all imported. The Anigen test we use, for example, gave positive results in the study.

Having said all this, test accuracy is still important. A positive diagnosis does allow the vet to do two useful things:

1. Stop performing other investigations and avoid unnecessary procedures or treatments
2. Protect in-contact dogs via a rapid vaccination, disinfection and quarantine program

We’ll update you as we learn more. In the meantime, confirmation testing is available via the Companion Animal Health Centre at Adelaide University. Ring 08 8313 1999 for more details.

How Is The New Strain Different?

Parvoviruses have been slowly mutating since CPV-2 first appeared in 1978. The new strain CPV-2c differs by a single base pair single mutation from CPV-2b. It probably causes an identical disease to other parvo strains, although there is some suspicion the diarrhoea is less bloody and bone marrow suppression may be less.

Clinically, there is no way to tell which strain is causing disease, which is why we think CPV-2c has been here for some time. The big difference may be in the protection given by existing vaccines.

Do Parvo Vaccines Still Work?

Short answer, yes, but possibly not as well. There has been a bit of alarmist talk about this so let me explain:

1. The three dogs in the Adelaide Uni study were: one 8 week puppy that died (as you know by now this is expected regardless of vaccination) and two 9 and 11 month-old vaccinated dogs that survived. It’s bad that they got sick at all but both were OK after a week. It looks like the vaccine conferred partial immunity.
2. CPV-2c has been present in Australia for at least two years without showing any change in the number of dogs getting parvo or a spike in dog deaths.
3. A single base pair mutation in the virus should not cause a loss of immunity in theory. That being said, it’s time for some Australian manufacturers to update their vaccines.
4. Up to date World Small Animal Veterinary Association guidelines for puppy vaccination may not always consistently be followed.
5. Published challenge studies have previously demonstrated Companion & Nobivac DHP (this is the vaccine we use) protect against all known CPV-2 variants, including CPV-2c

The particular CPV vaccine strain varies between manufacturers, meaning that each vaccine needs to be tested independently in order to prove it works. Remember what I said though: all vaccines should be at least partly protective.

How many times does a puppy need to be vaccinated?

Today Australian puppies should receive three parvo vaccines in their first 20 weeks of life. Read more about our early socialisation puppy vaccination protocol here.

The discussion on parvo strains is another good reason why the simplistic idea of dog vaccine titre testing should be treated with caution. Tests don’t tell you which strain the antibodies have been created for, as well as being poorly correlated with actual protection.

So the message for vets and dog owners is this: vaccination or a negative parvo test do not rule out the disease in a sick dog. It’s up to us vets to explore all the options to keep your puppies safe.

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Myxomatosis is a serious and common disease of pet rabbits in Adelaide. We’ve put together this information for rabbit owners about preventing and treating myxomatosis.

What Is Myxomatosis?

Myxomatosis is a viral disease which causes:

• A ‘sleepy eyed’ appearance
• Fever, lethargy and sickness
• Not eating
• Swollen eyelids, ears and genitals
• Discharge from the eyes and nose

Eventually progressing to:

• Secondary bacterial infection
• Dehydration
• Death
• Tumours called myxomas in many survivors

Important: do not confuse myxomatosis with rabbit calicivirus. You can read all about Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease and calicivirus here.

How Do Rabbits Catch Myxomatosis?

Myxo is mostly spread by biting insect vectors such as rabbit fleas and mosquitoes. In suburban areas, most rabbits will catch myxomatosis via mosquitoes or other blood sucking insects. It is also possible for myxomatosis to be spread directly from other affected rabbits.

Myxomatosis also clearly occurs in epidemic (‘epizootic’) events, probably responding to weather conditions that favour the insect vector. For example, the outbreak in Adelaide in October 2016 occurred in a warm spell following prolonged wet conditions, whereas 2022 was also in warm weather following heavy rain.

How Do I Prevent Myxomatosis?

Here’s how to stop rabbits getting myxomatosis:

1. Keep rabbits inside if possible, especially during outbreaks
2. Use these parasite protections on your rabbit. Of the choices, neither is likely to exert a strong repellent effect. A product with a proven mosquito repellent effect that has been tested in rabbits is Advantix (the smallest size used in puppies); see the reference to its use in rabbits below. Please be warned: it’s use is off-label and cannot be guaranteed to be safe despite preliminary testing. Using off-label ivermectin may work but is not recommended. There is an excellent safe alternative in selamectin, however both require the flea to bite to kill it.
3. Keep flyscreens well maintained on hutches
4. Use insect repellents like DEET nearby (but not on) rabbit hutches
5. Try fly zappers or mozzie coils
6. Prevent mosquito breeding by removing stagnant water
7. Avoid going to rabbit shows during outbreaks
8. Quarantine all new arrivals for at least two weeks- if one rabbit gets myxo, separate all the rabbits until it is known who else is infected, wash hands between handlings and use separate food and water containers.

Is There A Myxomatosis Vaccine?

No. Although the vaccine is available overseas, it is illegal to use it in Australia. It is a case of conflict between the needs of farmers and the needs of rabbit owners.

Current vaccines use a modified live virus. The Department of Agriculture fear that this could spread into wild rabbits if it was used in Australia. If this happened it could also protect wild rabbits from myxomatosis.

Rabbits are indeed a significant cost to Australian agriculture, but using myxoma virus as rabbit control is cruel and needs to change.

Can Myxomatosis Be Treated?

Myxomatosis produces severe symptoms and causes significant suffering. Survival rates in pet bunnies are low. Therefore, it is often kindest to euthanase affected rabbits when they stop eating.

Some rabbits can do well with supportive care such as fluids, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics. It’s also advisable for vets to hospitalise severe cases for intravenous fluids.

Owners must always put the welfare of their rabbit ahead of everything else. If a rabbit is not responding to treatment or becoming dehydrated, then euthanasia is the most humane choice.

How Long Will The Outbreak Last?

Based on experience of previous outbreaks (e.g. 2016), we advise rabbits be kept inside for at least one month. We will keep you updated on this page and via our Facebook.

Hansen, O., Mencke, N., Pfister, K., & Beck, W. (2006). Efficacy of a formulation containing imidacloprid and permethrin against naturally acquired ectoparasite infestations (Ctenocephalides felis, Cheyletiella parasitovorax, and Listrophorus gibbus) in rabbits. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN VETERINARY MEDICINE, 4(4), 320.

Featured image: Fletch 2002 at English Wikipedia [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

• Puppies: Protective vaccination is now safely given at 10 weeks of age. This means there are usually only two vaccinations required before a puppy can safely walk, the first with the breeder and the second with you. (We also give a safety-net 16 week parvo shot as per the WSAVA guidelines)
• Adult Dogs: Parvovirus, Distemper and Hepatitis protection can now last for three years, meaning dogs only require annual Canine Cough vaccination.

Why have vaccine protocols changed?

Older protocols are still widely used. These changes only apply to the newer vaccines which have been developed and tested to provide earlier or longer protection.

What Vaccinations Pets Need Annually

Dogs

Annual: Canine Cough vaccination

Triennial (every 3 year): Parvovirus, Distemper and Hepatitis vaccination

Not recommended*: Coronavirus, Leptospirosis

Cats

Annual: Herpesvirus, Calicivirus, Enteritis

Biennial: Herpesvirus, Calicivirus, Enteritis for solitary, indoor only cats who don’t use cat boarding and whose owners have minimal contact with other cats**

Annual: FIV vaccination

Not recommended*: Feline Leukaemia Virus, Chlamydia

Rabbits

Annual: Calicivirus vaccination

Ferrets

Annual: Distemper vaccination

*Please ask us for more information. This advice reflects regional disease prevalence and is not relevant to other parts of Australia. Click here for areas requiring leptospirosis vaccination.

**There is no F3 vaccine available that has label recommendations or has been tested for 2 year intervals. This will require informed consent from the owner. When in doubt, annual is safest

Don’t miss our other articles on pet vaccination:

1. Diseases of dogs and diseases of cats that we use vaccines to prevent.
2. Vaccine reactions, vaccinating safely and alternatives to vaccination like titre testing.
3. The changes to vaccination schedules for your pet.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

What Sex or Gender Is My Kitten?

Here’s how to tell whether a kitten is male or female:

Can I Give Milk To My Kitten?

Cows milk causes upset stomachs and diarrhoea due to lactose intolerance. Older cats can often tolerate milk in small amounts as a treat.

If you want to buy milk for your kitten it needs to be lactose-free. However, once kittens are eating solids it’s no longer an essential part of the diet.

Why Do Cats Have Whiskers?

Whiskers are a sort of extension of the sense of touch that you’ll find in animals that hunt or move in low light. Whiskers have sensory receptors at their base that register when the whisker touches something. This allows cats to move through a dark environment without collisions and allows them to snatch a mouse or bird even when they can’t see it.

Do Kittens Need Microchips?

Cats need permanent identification more than any other pet species.

• They lose their collars & tags
• They commonly try to return to old homes
• Dogs or stray cats chase them away
• They get injured on roads
• Other people often ‘re-own’ them
• Cats without ID can be rehomed or euthanased at shelters

What Does Catnip Do To Cats?

Catnip and catmint make some cats go crazy, and does nothing to others. The active compound in catnip causes mood changes ranging from increases in affection through to aggression. We don’t yet know why it does this.

Although catnip is put in all sorts of cat toys, probably at least 50% of cats seem to get no effect.

Why Do Kittens Purr?

Purring is a caused by rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the cat’s larynx muscles and diaphragm around 20-30 times a second. It’s probably used for signaling to the mother cat that all is well, but it may also have a self-soothing effect. Most cats do it when contented, but vets also see it when cats are anxious or in pain so it’s not that simple.

Kittens also purr to communicate their pleasures or wants to their owners.

Why Do Kittens Knead?

Kneading is rhythmic pushing with the front paws that cats often do on people and comfy beds to show pleasure.

It’s used by suckling kittens to stimulate milk release by their mother’s mammary glands. The survival of this habit into adulthood shows how our cats tend to retain some kitten-like behaviours. This is probably also partly true for purring.

Can You Bath Cats & Kittens?

Healthy, adult cats are naturally clean animals and we don’t recommend bathing them. Here’s when bathing cats is a good idea:

• Kittens who get food or yucky stuff in their coat
• Adult cats with skin problems helped by special shampoos
• Removing a toxic substance like grease before it gets licked
• Breeds like Sphinx with special needs (your breeder will let you know)

Be warned: if you plan to bathe your cat, clip their nails first & wear thick long-sleeves and trousers. This won’t stop all injuries though!

Why Do Kittens Like Boxes?

Cats are creatures of the shadows; they love messy gardens, rooms full of junk, and BOXES. All this relates to their wild ancestors, whose hunting strategies use stealth and ambush. Cats are also preyed upon by larger animals so hidey holes give them a feeling of security.

It’s the same with high places. There’s more in our guide to keeping indoor cats happy.

Why Do Kittens Bite & Scratch?

Is your kitten playing too rough? Some kitties draw blood when they play with humans, and if you don’t fix it now, they could keep doing it as adults. What starts out as cute can end up being a real health hazard.

Most kittens that are biting or scratching people are being encouraged to do so. There’s usually someone in the house who enjoys rough play using their hands or other parts of the body. They don’t mind playing attacking games with your cat, who doesn’t mind playing back hard.

Here’s what to do about attack cats:

• Only play using toys between your hands & the cat
• If your cat attacks, don’t punish; This will only make it worse
• If a cat is on your lap and may attack, use a pillow to push them off
• Avoid situations likely to cause attacks
• Feed meals, not free access; Cats need to see you as the provider

Read more causes of aggression in cats here.

What Shots Do Kittens Need?

All cats should get an F3 vaccination for calicivirus, herpesvirus and feline enteritis (sometimes called “flu and enteritis”) at 6-8 weeks, then 4 weeks later.

Cats who will be outside without supervision should also get protection from feline immunodeficiency virus, with causes cat AIDS. Read our full vaccination protocols for cats here.

What Do Kittens Eat?

You can buy any good quality complete & balanced kitten food; it will supply everything a kitten needs. Things almost never go wrong this way. It’s just too hard to make food for your kitten that supplies everything they need.

In our guide to feeding cats we also discuss raw bones and cat grass.

Can Kittens Just Eat Biscuits?

Yes, it’s quite OK to feed a diet that is only cat biscuits to healthy cats and kittens. You need to pay attention to their water bowls as they’ll need to drink a lot more water. We’d prefer you also give access to fresh items like grass as well.

Good quality cat foods contain low sodium levels and several cat foods also help keep teeth clean.

How Much Do I Feed My Kitten?

Heres how to calculate the amount:

1. Buy a good quality kitten food
2. Use the feeding guidelines on the package as a starting amount
3. Split the total into two or three meals
4. Feed meals at set times
5. Bowls should be empty at the next meal; if not, reduce quantity by 10%
6. Ask your vet to show you how to assess body condition
7. Adjust the amount you feed to maintain an optimal condition

Do Kittens Teeth Fall Out?

By 6 weeks, kittens should have acquired all their deciduous (milk) teeth. These sharp little needles don’t last long though. Between 3 and 5 months of age, these teeth fall out and are replaced by permanent (adult) teeth.

How To Toilet Train Kittens

Here’s how to train a kitten to use a litter tray:

1. Buy the same litter the breeder has been using
2. Alternatively, choose a litter that feels like dry dirt or sand
3. Place at least 2-3 shallow trays in private places (avoid closed trays)
4. Show your kitten the trays and even dig with them a little
5. Never punish toileting in a different place
6. Clean up cat urine & faeces using specialised cleaners to prevent re-use of the area
7. If your kitten keeps toileting in the wrong place, put a temporary tray there too
8. If kitty uses your bed, keep that door shut permanently until the habit is gone
9. Change or clean the litter daily
10. Rinse trays without using strong chemicals

Once the habit is strong, you can remove extra trays or change the litter type. If you have a setback, go back to an earlier step.

Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?

Cats don’t seem to have a circadian rhythm. They can sleep or be active whenever they like. If there isn’t much going on, cats will often take a cat nap. Old Tom who’s out all night will sleep all day whereas indoor cats are usually more active during the daytime.

Basically, cats sleep as a form of flexible downtime & energy saving.

Let’s be honest. We’re jealous.

Bonus question:

Why Are There So Many Kittens On the Internet?

It was made for them, silly. Just like everything else.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.