Dog gastro Melbourne: Suspected cases in Mount Martha, Rosebud
Worried dog owners are urging animal lovers to steer clear of popular parks, walking paths and beaches. Here’s why.
South East
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Dog owners fear a severe outbreak of canine gastro has hit the Mornington Peninsula.
The highly contagious illness has been making dogs sick across Melbourne’s inner east and south east for the past month.
Danielle Selby’s beloved pooch Jasper spent two days on an intravenous drip after falling ill with a fever on Friday.
Severe diarrhoea followed the high temperature and Ms Selby said her vet had diagnosed gastro as the most likely cause.
Jasper rallied on Sunday and has since returned to his Mount Martha home but Ms Selby said it was “touch and go”.
“We could have lost Jasper,” she said.
“So be careful … something is definitely going around and Jasper hasn’t been to a dog park just walking around the streets on the lead.”
Ms Selby urged other dog owners not to let their dogs out if they had been sick to avoid spreading the illness.
Another Mount Martha dog owner warned people to keep clear of local beaches after his dog started vomiting uncontrollably after a weekend visit to Mount Martha’s South Beach.
Other walkers reported seeing pools of vomit along the Balcombe Estuary boardwalk popular with dog owners.
Another suggested the need for a hot spot map to track the outbreak, similar to what is used to alert Victoria’s to Covid exposure sites.
Despite growing concern about a possible outbreak, Mount Martha Vetinary Clinic has not seen a recent spike in dog gastro cases.
A spokeswoman for the clinic said there had not been an increase in cases compared to the same time in 2020.
“We certainly haven’t seen the sorts of cases involving extreme vomiting and diahhorrea as vets in the Melbourne’s inner east,” she said.
ADVICE FOR DOG OWNERS
■ If your dog is ill, do not take it to a park.
■ A bland diet, fluids and probiotics will help them recover.
■ Take your dog to the vet if vomiting or diarrhoea doesn’t clear up after a day or two.
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■ Don’t hesitate to seek veterinary advice if the dog is very sick or if you’re worried.
