bengaluru although covid19induced lockdown restrictions have been lifted many pet owners in bengaluru continue to walk their dogs on terraces or on secluded stretches due to the rising incidence of parvo and distemper virus infections the viruses are extremely contagious in cases of unvaccinated dogs and can be fatal tooexperts attribute the uptick in infections to people increasingly adopting unvaccinated pets most often these new pets mostly dogs are not immunized and make them prone to infection when they come in contact with other canines carrying the virus during walks and play outings in the neighbourhoodtapasya mazumder a resident of new thippasandra who takes oscar her pet for walks on the terrace of her building said we do not want to take any risks so we take oscar out for a walk on the terrace we hope covid19 and these canine diseases disappear quickly and normalcy is restored soon for both humans and animalsveterinary facilities confirmed seeing a significant rise in cases of parvo and distemper infections parvo attacks the intestines of dogs while distemper affects gastrointestinal and respiratory organs both spread through animaltoanimal contact which is the main form of transmission of both virusesdr umesh a senior veterinarian and a consultant with many canine treatment facilities in bengaluru confirmed the rise of parvo infectionsfull health historyadopted dogs are often strays and are unvaccinated dr umesh said pet parents often dont get the full health history of the dog they are adopting so when they take them out for walks and when the animals come in contact with other dogs there is a very high chance of contracting the parvo virus that attacks the animals intestines and prevents them from being able to absorb vital nutrients needed for its wellbeingdr umesh said parvo virus attacks are often fatal in unvaccinated dogs but vaccinated pets rarely get infected the canine distemper virus is equally contagiouscharlies animal rescue centre care in yelahanka confirmed seeing a rise in distemper virus infections we have 20 admissions now and the dogs are undergoing treatment in a secluded enclosure the condition is extremely risky for the dog and the animal needs to be on strict watch and under hospitalization sometimes for a month t uma attached to care saidnot alarminghowever experts like dr akshata ubale of cessna lifeline veterinary hospital in domlur says the situation does not call for alarm we have been getting a few cases of canine distemper on a weekly basis here and i wouldnt say it is increasing but it is not decreasing either the situation of such cases in other parts of the city also needs to be assessed to draw a conclusion on whether the virus attack has increased among bengaluru canines dr ubale said