"Mummy! Something's wrong..."

“Usually a cry from one of the children…” Jenny, President of the Association for the Protection of Animals Algarve (APAA), knows only too well. “They are the ones that are nearest and dearest to any of the pets in the household.”

in Community · 09 Nov 2025, 13:04 · 0 Comments

"Unfortunately, a lot of loving homes skip the most important part of their pets' health. Vaccinations.” With the sudden rise of ‘Parvo’ or Parvovirus in the canine and feline communities, it is easily spread through the backyard or during walks. “It’s highly contagious and the treatment is very expensive and there is no guarantee!”

A recent call for help came unexpectedly from a homeless lady in Silves. “Although living in a ruin, she had a pet that arrived and had puppies. During this time, APAA had visited, as did other charities, but the poor dog was so scrawny that no one believed she could be pregnant.” Wrong!

The five puppies were taken to a vet. Time passes. “Pinha, the strongest survivor, is with me, in quarantine, AKA back-bedroom.” These sorts of diseases are rife, lying undetected until almost too late. “The safest thing is to vaccinate any animal as soon as possible. It stops untold suffering for the poor animal and the costs for the family involved.”

Parvo is a killer disease and because highly infectious, it causes havoc amongst cat colonies and packs of dogs. They only have to sniff or lick each other’s muzzles or go near contaminated faeces to get infected. Not passed on from animals to humans. The children often are the ‘carers’ for the pets, and notice pretty quickly if furry-friend-friend is out of sorts or they are vomiting and very smelly, irregular poos are everywhere. The parvo-bacteria looks like a beautiful Christmas bauble. Beautiful, unseen and deadly. Treat your pet to an early Christmas gift, a vaccination! “Fortunatel,y only one pup died, the others are with me keeping Pinha company. Needless to say, looking for a home!”

Final Pre-Christmas ‘Pop-Up’ Favourite ‘O Tasco’ Monday 8^th December 12-3pm. Monday Chicken-Piri-Piri day! Book lunch directly. Ideal for Christmas shopping and a fab lunch with friends. Car Boot Sales Ferraguido 2^nd Sunday of December & January. Coming up - an absolute must. APAA Charity Variety Performance 16/17^th November at Auditório do Museu Portimão. Tickets 15€. Christmas Lunch announcement soon!

Visit APAA Charity shops in I Dunas do Alvor: Mon-Sat 10.30 am–2pm Rua Elias Garcia 20,Silves: Mon-Fri 10am–2pm (Sat1pm) Silves. Real bargains. Christmas presents, hand-made jewellery, ornaments. Home-made chutneys, jams, marmalades, pickles and cookies. Everything you need for your home or rental. Spoil yourself!

Contacts: Jackie’s Lunches events.apaaportugal@gmail.com

Pets:info.apaaportugal@gmail.com (mark for Anita-Legacy) Check out ‘Facebook’ & Latest Legacy video: https://youtu.be/hNCdd5X-4XI *

APAA Charity Variety Performance Tickets Online: www.bol.pt (QR code) Email: Show.apaaportugal@gmail.com BOOK IT NOW!