Bruno's life was saved from deadly virus

A seven-month-old Rottweiler’s life was left hanging in the balance after catching a deadly virus. Luckily, a simple vaccination can stop other pets suffering like poor Bruno.

Owner Chris Smith (32) and his partner Sam from Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, woke up one morning to find their normally energetic puppy lethargic and depressed. He wouldn’t eat, began suffering from sickness and had blood and mucus in his poo.

Bruno’s owners knew something was desperately wrong so they called for advice and rushed him to our Stoke PDSA Pet Hospital.

PDSA vets gave Bruno treatment, but when he wouldn’t eat or drink and couldn’t stop vomiting, they knew it could be something much more serious – life-threatening parvovirus.

Bruno was taken to PDSA’s out-of-hours service, run by emergency pet care service Vets Now’ after his condition meant he couldn’t keep any fluids down and vets were worried he might not pull through.

Chris said: “We couldn’t believe how quickly he deteriorated. We were devastated to see him so sick and when we left him at the vets for treatment we feared it was going to be the last time we saw him.”

Our veterinary team did all they could to stabilise him and to stop him getting too dehydrated, ultimately saving his life.

After he had medicine to help his tummy and a drip giving him fluids, he was finally able to keep his food down and started to improve. He needed lots of care, but Bruno was able to return home to continue his recovery.

Bruno is now much brighter and back to his bouncy ways, but tragically, many dogs with parvovirus don’t get the same happy ending as Bruno. A simple vaccination is the only way to protect them and can make the difference between life and death.

Chris said “It was such a traumatic time - I wouldn’t wish this on anyone else. I can’t stress enough the importance of getting your pets vaccinated.”

Bruno is now fully vaccinated and Chris wants to tell Bruno’s story to help raise awareness of the vital importance of keeping up-to-date with injections.

PDSA is the UK’s leading veterinary charity. Through our 48 Pet Hospitals and Pet Care scheme, we save the lives of poorly pets who would otherwise be left untreated.

Every year, we helped over 388,000 pets. Without us, emergency cases like Bruno's would be left untreated and many pets could lose their lives or be separated from families who love them.

We wouldn’t be here for dogs like Bruno without your support. Please consider donating today.

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