Veterinarian Marshall Thornton from West Cessnock Veterinary Hospital said the number of parvovirus cases has surged since Christmas, with all of the unvaccinated pets coming out of the woodwork.

“People just will not vaccinate,” he said.

“Parvovirus is a funny thing.

“It lives in the ground for 12 to 18 months then all of a sudden we will see the population of people who don’t normally go to the vet come in with their unvaccinated pets.”

Parvovirus is a deadly viral infection which lives in faeces and in the ground.

Most of the parvovirus cases have come from East Cessnock and a radius around the area of Catherine Street and Macquarie Avenue in Cessnock.

“It tends to go in cycles,” he said.

“This is not as bad as the outbreak in 2013, but we have still seen at least 50, but probably more like 70 dogs.

“If we could vaccinate every puppy for the next two to three years we could beat this disease.

“But they [owners] never learn to vaccinate.”

Parvovirus has also been recorded in Maitland, Rutherford and the wider Hunter.

Most pet owners choose to euthanise their pets once they get the virus because treatment is expensive and involves isolated intensive care.

Greencross Vets Maitland’s practice manager Kathy Pearson said all puppies and dogs should be vaccinated for the virus.

“The virus lives in the ground which means you could move into a rental property and not know it has had parvo in the past,” she said.

“Puppies go down really quickly with the virus and treatment can cost several thousands [of dollars].”

Ms Pearson said puppies needed a series of three vaccinations to be immune to the virus, while adult dogs needed an annual vaccination.

“Vaccination is so important,” she said.

The parvovirus vaccine costs about $80.

Symptoms include bloody, foul-smelling ­diarrhoea and vomiting.

Treatment can be painful for dogs and includes antibiotics and intensive care in isolation.

Treatment is not always successful.