ST. LOUIS - Stray Paws Rescue and many other small animal rescues have been hit hard lately with parvo disease. Now several of their dogs are fighting for their lives.

Stray Paws Rescue recently took in nine puppies after getting a call from Poplar Bluff to come and get them. Rescuers had no clue these puppies had parvo disease.

“A day after they were with us they started showing signs of parvo,” said Jennie Miller, Stray Paws Rescue. “Since then, we have lost two due to parvo.”

Dr. Evan Klein, an owner at Veterinary Care Center, said parvo is one of the biggest killers of puppies he sees and it all starts when a puppy isn’t vaccinated.

“You can prevent this. Parvo is preventable. All you need to do is follow a vaccine protocol; go to a local vet,” he said.

The surviving puppies remain quarantined, Miller said. The rescue group is doing everything it can to save the puppies but it’s extremely expensive. On the cheap end, it can cost $800 to treat each puppy.

“We can’t save them all,” Miller said. “We can't save every dog but once they come to our care it’s our responsibility and our mission to.”

Other local rescues are also dealing with cases of parvo. The signs or symptoms of it are fairly easy to recognize.

“Anytime you see a puppy that has diarrhea and vomiting those are the signs you want to go out for,” Klein said.

Stray Paws said they work around the clock saving animals and they could use some financial help to save these puppies.

If you would like to help out Stray Paws Rescue you can contact them via Facebook to make a donation.