T.C.S.P.C.A. NewsDog Disease Threatens Provo The Turks & Caicos Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCSPCA) and a group of gallant volunteers have spent the last few days calling from house-to-house in Blue Hills to identify and vaccinate dogs that may be at risk of contracting the ‘distemper’ virus, and ensuring all members of the public are aware of the outbreak by disseminating informational leaflets in English, Creole and Spanish. The air-borne distemper virus only affects dogs and humans are not at risk from the disease. Dogs will initially show signs of infection through a thick discharge from their eyes and nose, accompanied by coughing, diarrhoea and vomiting. In a dangerous twist to the disease, the dog will then seem healthier for a period of eight or so days, but the virus is actually spreading throughout the body. “What it is doing is travelling up into the brain,” explained Barbara Young of the TCSPCA, “and once it gets up into the brain and is fully blown (about twenty days after first infection) the dog gets convulsions and seizures, they go round in circles, they start chewing and foam at mouth and then they die.” The TCSPCA is urging all members of the public to be on the look out for dogs with these symptoms and to notify the organisation of any carriers. “We would like the community to know that we are treating this very seriously,” they asserted in a press statement. “Other Caribbean countries have lost thousands of dogs to this virus. We do not want to see this happen in the Turks & Caicos.” The recent outbreak first came to light when an infected dog was brought in to a vets practice on the island in mid-April. Blood work was done, the Environmental Health Department notified and distemper confirmed. In an indication of the speed with which the disease can spread, by May 1st the TCSPCA were aware of fifteen cases. Most of these first cases were young puppies and all dogs subsequently died. Vaccines were ordered from the US and the vaccination programme was started immediately. After the first day of the vaccination programme it became apparent that the situation was already much worse than previously thought. “Most of the households we have reached have lost dogs within the last month that have exhibited all symptoms of distemper,” Susan Blehr of the TCSPCA told The Free Press. “bringing the number of known deaths to about fifty so far.” The initial import of two hundred vaccines is being supplemented by another four hundred this week, with the vaccination programme continuing until more is known about the spread of the virus. “We will see what comes out of Blue Hills as that is where the first cases have been reported, and then we may need to continue throughout the rest of the island,” explained Ms Young. The distemper disease, say the TCSPCA, could only have arrived on the island via an infected animal brought in from abroad All dog-owners who bring animals into the Turks & Caicos Islands are required to show a vet-certified record of vaccinations against illnesses like distemper and rabies to the authorities. The current distemper outbreak highlights that the current standard of checks on such documentation may not be adequate. In a heart-warming show of community support, the TCSPCA has received welcome assistance for the programme over the past few days from numerous organisations and businesses inside and outside of the country. The Potcake Foundation handed a cheque for $6000 to the non-profit organisation last week to help the distemper vaccination programme, the International Humane Society in the US donated another $1500, the Pegasus Foundation contacted numerous other animal welfare organisations to send vaccines and syringes to the Turks & Caicos Islands, TC Vets donated the first two hundred vaccines, Woodring Veterinary Services donated one hundred syringes, Belize Bank donated a fridge to store the vaccines and Business Solutions gave a huge discount on printing public awareness flyers. The government Environmental Health Department are also supportive of the vaccination programme. The TCSPCA is pleased that so many see the importance of maintaining a healthy animal population in the country. “The government has declared 2007 as The Year of the Environment. Our pets are just as integral to our environment as are our dolphins, our whales and our coral reefs. What happens to them affects not only our residents but also our tourists. A country that shows compassion towards animals is a place people want to visit.” Call the TCSPCA on 941 8846 or 231 3052 for any more information or to report any suspected cases of canine distemper.
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A canine vaccination programme is continuing in Providenciales this week as animal welfare groups attempt to stem the spread of a highly contagious and lethal disease that is affecting the dog population of the island for the first time in twenty-five years.
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