PupAid event backed by @parvoalert

This year's PupAid event, which is part of the campaign to end puppy farming, is to be sponsored by @parvoalert, the Twitter-based warning system for canine parvovirus.

Taking place on Saturday 7 September on London's Primrose Hill, the annual event hosts a fun dog show, trade stalls, displays, have-a-go agility and classes judged by celebrity dog-lovers.

Twitter feed @parvoalert, launched by Virbac, has chosen to back this year's event to raise awareness about the parvovirus disease alongside the horrors of puppy farming.

Simon Boulton, of Virbac, said: "Puppy farming and parvovirus are inextricably linked as parvovirus is a disease that is particularly common amongst puppies raised in inadequate, unhygienic conditions."

TV Vet Marc Abraham is founder of the PupAid campaign.

"@parvoalert is a simple but effective way of warning owners about cases of deadly parvovirus," he commented.

"We share common goals – to promote early detection of the disease, to raise awareness of it and to reduce the number of cases through ensuring that all puppies are vaccinated."

Marc has recently launched an online petition calling for a ban on puppies being sold without their mothers present and to stop the trade in farmed puppies and kittens on the whole.

The petition has gained more than 30,000 signatures in just over a month.

"Too many farmed puppies sadly aren't vaccinated so are left vulnerable to the horrific disease parvovirus," he explained. "We're delighted to have @parvoalert on board as a supporter of PupAid."

Image courtesy of Virbac