Labrador puppies dumped in Dubai killed by parvovirus
Two puppies dumped near Al Qudra died of the highly contagious parvovirus, raising the alarm over illegal breeders operating in Dubai.
The dogs, believed to be Labradors, were found by labourers near the Town Square development on July 2.
Residents took the puppies in and soon took them to a vet after both animals became ill.
Gripped by lethargy, vomiting and diarrhoea, the dogs – Lucky and Bailey – were given vaccinations after displaying signs typical of the virus.
Their condition deteriorated over the next 24 hours, and a second opinion was sought from another vet, who diagnosed the potentially fatal condition. Despite medical attention, the dogs died a day later.
“We don’t know if the dogs were siblings but, because they were pure breeds, the vets we took them to for treatment assumed they were either illegally bred on a puppy farm or from a pet shop,” said Natalia, who took in one of the dogs.
“They were dumped without vaccinations so they picked up the virus very quickly.
“When we picked her up she was very dirty with scratches and covered in ticks.”
Bailey’s health began to deteriorate three days later.
A vet carried out tests and gave Bailey a vaccination against the virus.
A second vet suggested a blood transfusion, but the dog died shortly afterwards.
Natalia paid about Dh3,500 for Bailey’s treatment.
“The dogs were found on the construction site near where I live,” said Kasia, a Pole who gave a home to Lucky, the other dog. “We thought they had escaped because they had collars, so we posted the dsicovery on Facebook to see if anyone was missing them.
“Although the dog had been microchipped, it did not reveal any information on where he had been chipped or who owned him.
“When no one came forward, he was taken to the vet because he was sick. He got very weak so I took him back to the vet, who did a test and confirmed it was parvovirus.”
Cases of parvovirus have been recorded in animals bought from back-street breeders or rogue pet shop owners.
The licence of a shop accused of selling sick animals in Jumeirah Lakes Towers was suspended last year after complaints to Dubai Municipality.
Customers claimed they had bought puppies from Petholicks that were infected with parvovirus and later died.