CONCERNS about the Mount Isa Pound have been expressed after a dog purchased from the facility died from parvovirus over Christmas.
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Elena Lait and her partner saw Ridgeback puppy Milly advertised in the paper to be put down the following day and decided to take her home.
"When we picked her up from the pound she was happy and healthy but 48 hours later she had vomiting and diahorrea - all the common symptoms of parvovirus," she said.
"We rushed her to the veterinarian but she didn't recover."
Mrs Lait said despite bleaching their home and backyard, they didn't want to risk of infecting another puppy.
"We don't want to go through that again because it was just horrible," she said.
"There's no way we can buy another puppy unless it is fully vaccinated before we bring it home."
"I have a copy of the vet's letter saying that our little girl would have caught the virus before reaching the pound, so I'm concerned about the other dogs there."
Pound operator Jean Pennington said Milly's story was a sad one, but maintained the pound took the utmost care to keep their animals healthy.
"We treat all pound dogs as if they aren't vaccinated," she said.
"We don't have to accept sick animals and on a few occasions we haven't - I'm very vigilant of this.
"If they do show any signs we ring the council straight away and they take them to the vet for treatment."
She said people picking up stray or wandering dog that looked sick should contact the council before bringing them to the holding pens.
Dogs at the pound were contained in separate pens, and Mrs Pennington said she scrubbed cages with veterinary-approved disinfectant if she had any cases of parvovirus at the facility.
"The problem is we don't normally see the signs of parvovirus until its too late. A dog wagging its tail and looking happy can be a very sick puppy very quickly"
Mrs Pennington echoed the views of local veterinarians and said stopping the spread of parvovirus boiled down to responsible pet ownership.
"The main thing is that responsible owners don't let their dogs wander and make sure they are vaccinated."