The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is reminding the public to vaccinate their dogs against parvovirus after finding three abandoned puppies with the disease last month.
Two of the golden retrievers, who were rescued Aug. 23 in Dorchester by Boston Animal Control, were quarantined and hospitalized but have since recovered, the MSPCA said Tuesday.
“The fortunate thing is that we caught it early,” said Mike Keiley, vice present of the society’s animal protection division. “Whenever we have early stages where the animals are starting to get ill … we have much more of a high success rate.”
Parvovirus, a contagion transmitted from dog to dog or by contact with infected feces, can kill a puppy within 48 hours from the start of symptoms, the group said.
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The puppies were apparently abandoned in the area of Geneva Avenue, according to Keiley. Officials were not able to track down their owners.
“Golden retriever puppies being stray is unusual,” he said. “It feels more intentional in nature than it was accidental.”
After being rescued, the dogs were taken to the MSPCA’s animal hospital in Waltham because animal hospitals in Boston were full, Keiley said.
From there, they were treated in isolation for six days, and two were then taken into foster care to complete their recovery.
But Keiley stressed that this could have been avoided if the animals were vaccinated.
“Vaccines are hugely effective and broadly available,” he said.
One of the puppies, named “Big Red,” is finishing up treatment for his infection, the group said. He is expected to be ready for adoption within the next 10 days.
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“We know that there will be a lot of interest in adopting Big Red,” Keiley said in the release. “We’re so excited that he’ll soon have the very best home and bright future after a challenging start.”
Truman Dickerson can be reached at truman.dickerson@globe.com.
