Parvo outbreak at county shelter, two dogs dead, one recovering

UKIAH, CA., 10/17/16 – The Mendocino County Animal Shelter is undergoing decontamination measures after an outbreak of parvo last week left two dogs dead and one other infected, but now healthy. Volunteers at the shelter, who have been consistently worried about oversight of the facility, expressed concern over the outbreak and whether it was being properly dealt with. Mary Jane Montana, interim shelter director, provided an update on the shelter in a letter to Board of Supervisors last week, and described the timeline of the outbreak in an interview.

The the first case was first identified in one of a group of three puppies brought to the shelter on September 27. However, though one of the puppies tested positive for parvo, and was euthanized, soon thereafter, the shelter did not formally announce the outbreak until October 12. According to Montana, the puppies were seen and vaccinated on the day they were brought to the shelter, according to protocol, and then placed in a kennel in general population (although one was treated for an abscess). Montana said the puppies were placed in the kennel furthest from the other dogs, but noted the facility does not contain kennels that enable a strict quarantine of any animal.