RESIDENTS are being urged to invest in life-saving vaccinations after an influx in the amount of cases of a deadly disease being reported.

Worcestershire’s Dog Warden Pip Singleton, who works for Worcestershire Regulatory Services, has received 12 reports of Parvo cases in dogs this year alone.

One dog has already died as a result of the highly contagious disease which they usually see just three or four cases being reported each year in Worcestershire.

It is believed that the rise in cases is a result of cash strapped owners, who are feeling the pinch in the current economic climate, skimping on the Parvo vaccination which needs to administered each year.

Dogs who catch the disease suffer from bloody diarrhoea, vomiting and lethargy.

Pip says this is a false economy and wants pet-owners to make sure their pooches are wormed, deflead and vaccinated against Parvo.

She said: “The vaccination for Parvo is not a luxury, it’s a lifesaver. What you don’t spend on the vaccination could see you spending 10 times that amount on vet’s fees to treat your dog if they contract the disease which, as we have seen already, can be deadly.

“So please visit your vet and get your dog’s jabs and treatments up to date so they don’t have to suffer.”