Dogs sit and stay to get vaccinated against parvovirus at San Francisco free clinic Dogs lined up on a San Francisco street Monday for free vaccines to combat an outbreak of a highly contagious illness that can be fatal for some canines if not treated.
The dogs got parvovirus and other vaccinations free-of-charge as part of a joint effort by the San Francisco SPCA, San Francisco Animal Care and Control and other organizations in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood.
Jessica Bogosian, San Francisco SPCA's director of community medicine programs, said parvovirus attacks the stomach and intestines of dogs, and is spread by dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces and environments.
A large uptick in parvovirus cases has been found in the San Francisco area in recent months, but the illness can be found in any community across the country, Bogosian said.
Andre Baylor brough his 10-year-old Chihuahua, Troy, to get the vaccination, saying he had heard that the virus could be fatal and that he'd do anything to save Troy's life.
