Parvo outbreak closes Unicoi shelter; 17 dogs euthanized

[Swiftwind]

Parvo outbreak closes Unicoi shelter; 17 dogs euthanized


Author: Jim Wozniak
Publisher: TimesNews.net
Original Article: Parvo outbreak closes Unicoi shelter; 17 dogs euthanized

ERWIN — Seventeen dogs from the Unicoi County Animal Shelter were euthanized Friday after they showed signs of parvo, a contagious gastrointestinal disease that afflicts young dogs.

Dogs being kept at the shelter that were younger than 5 years old also were euthanized because of their susceptibility to the virus, Sheriff Kent Harris said.

Meanwhile, officials have closed the shelter to virtually all dogs until Monday so the facility can be cleaned and aired extensively, Harris and County Commissioner Sue Jean Wilson, chairwoman of the shelter’s board of directors, said at a news conference. As of Friday afternoon, only one dog was being housed there.

“Due to the neglect of individuals not taking care of their animals and they come to our shelter, the disease of parvo has spread,” Wilson said. She said the county’s animal board will discuss on Tuesday the inoculation of every dog entering the facility for parvo to try to keep this from happening again.

According to the Web site of the American Veterinary Medical Association, parvo is a “highly contagious and serious disease” that is triggered by a virus that harms the gastrointestinal tract of puppies, dogs and wild canids.

Wilson said the shelter focused this week in part on dogs that were younger than 5 on the advice of a veterinarian who told shelter officials that older dogs are essentially immune from parvo.

“This is something that really is bothersome to us because we all love animals,” Harris said.

Eleven dogs were quarantined at the former Erwin dog pound next door for observation.

“We’re going to watch these 11 real close,” Harris said. “If any of them show any signs, we’ll have to take care of that immediately.”

Another eight dogs were euthanized Thursday. Some showed signs of parvo, but they also had reached the time limit for being held at the shelter, Harris said.

The parvo outbreak did not affect the cats, which stay in cages in a room adjacent to the dog runs.

Wilson said the public should review state law on animals because officials will enforce it. Animal control officers have been instructed to issue citations to those who do not follow state law, Wilson said.

The initial dog with parvo was a mixed breed that came to the shelter on March 27, and Office Manager Leanna Dippold told Harris the next day that it was showing signs of the virus. It was euthanized that day.

“We’re blaming it all on this dog, but who knows?” Harris said. “There could have been more than one come in with it.”

The dogs were moved out of the shelter on Friday morning, two days after Dippold said she noticed widespread signs of parvo.

“There were three kennels in there that had diarrhea,” Harris said, “and I told Tom (Colbaugh) then, ‘These dogs just don’t look right.’ I knew something was up with them.”

Animal Welfare Board members were consulted on the situation before officials acted, the sheriff said. He stressed that shelter officials would have saved the euthanized dogs if it were possible.

The shelter has been open since late February.

“This animal shelter, it’s a work in progress for us,” Harris said. “But talking to other places, they’ve experienced the same problems before. Even by starting to give these dogs a shot when they come in ... that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to have parvo. I hope it doesn’t happen again.”

The sheriff said a lot of the dogs county animal control officers have picked up since the shelter’s opening have run around loose “for years” or are puppies that no one wants.

Anyone who has recently adopted a dog from the animal shelter should call the facility at 743-3071.

Related Articles:
None