45 puppies die of canine parvovirus at Pretoria police academy
At least 45 puppies have died at the South African Police Service K9 Academy in Pretoria following an outbreak of canine parvovirus.
This is the second outbreak in less than a year.
The puppies were brought in last month for consultations and were found to be lethargic and unresponsive.
Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili says samples were sent for testing which confirmed the outbreak.
Quarantine measures were immediately put in place.
“The SAPS Veterinary Services alerted the management of the K9 Academy Roodeplaat of the findings and immediately recommended that the quarantine measures as previously implemented during the 2019 parvovirus outbreak be enforced in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.”
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She says even though the puppies were vaccinated the virus had hit the academy again.
An internal investigation is now being conducted to determine the source of the outbreak.
“A task team comprised of veterinary services, the K9 unit and K9 Academy personnel had been established to, among other things, review the breeding strategy and relevant directives on general welfare and operational procedures governing the breeding programme,” says Muridili.
She adds: “The management of the South African Police Service is confident that the veterinary services has responded swiftly to the outbreak of the parvovirus at the SAPS K9 Academy Roodeplaat.”