When dogs are treated as toys they become disposable
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As an animal lover, I am dismayed to read that many dogs in Southeast Asia have succumbed to canine parvovirus disease (“parvo”), due to improper care from their owners or pet shops (“What is being done to limit cases of canine parvovirus?”, April 8).
When we take in animals to care for, their health and well-being become our responsibility. They are not toys we buy for entertainment then throw away.
We vaccinate pigs and birds for fear of catching diseases from them. But because parvovirus cannot be transmitted to humans, we do not feel obligated to vaccinate dogs.
Without proper treatment, 80 per cent of dogs infected with the disease die.
Those who lack the responsibility to own a pet should not buy one on impulse. Our pets should not suffer because of our inability to treat them properly.
Lee Zhi Jun
Straits Times/ANN
