The Cape Town-based Animal Welfare Society (AWS) of South Africa says it’s seen a spike in the number of dogs infected with the canine distemper virus.
At least 300 animals have died in Knysna in the Southern Cape following an outbreak earlier this year.
Dogs who are not vaccinated, are most at risk as the virus is highly contagious. Symptoms include fever, vomiting and diarrhoea.
AWS spokesperson Allan Perrins says Cape Town has now also become a hotspot for the deadly canine disease.
“Over the last couple of months we’ve seen between 10 and 20 cases per week which very alarming. Most of the cases we’ve seen have been walk-ins from nearby areas on the Cape Flats and surrounding areas, but that’s not to say that we haven’t seen cases from elsewhere in the Cape Metro -so the disease is quite wide spread. Our message to pet owners is to please ensure that their pets are vaccinated.”
