Operations returned to normal Wednesday at the Cullman County Animal Shelter as a quarantine on accepting or adopting dogs at the facility was lifted.
Several dogs were brought to the shelter by animal control officers after a 20-day quarantine that was implemented following the death of several puppies.
A consulting veterinarian for the shelter, Dr. John Cornett of Northside Veterinary Hospital in Cullman, said tests conducted on the dogs that died at the shelter indicated parvovirus.
“The only thing they have diagnosed is parvo. We have been told of no other disease,” Cornett said. “To my knowledge none of the dogs in the foster program became ill.”
Shelter manager Candie Horsley said employees became concerned in early June when two puppies became sick and died. Several others later became ill and died. Animal control officials requested the testing of the deceased dogs as well as food and water samples after the initial deaths.
The dogs were sent first to a Department of Agriculture office at Wallace State Community College, and from there to a lab in Lee County.
“The employees at the animal shelter check daily for any signs of illness,” Cornett said. “Everything looks good to go back to normal operations because of the test results that have been reported back to us. If we begin seeing more problems, we’ll go back to the quarantine. There is nothing outside of parvo that was reported. If there had been anything else, the public would have been notified immediately.”
Cornett also said cases of parvo have been on the upswing. He said dog owners who have not arranged for a vaccination for their pets should do so quickly. Boosters are also needed each year.
“With everything we know about parvo, and there are different strains, the vaccines we have available are effective,” Cornett said. “The virus is primarily spread fecal to oral.”
In other words, a dog that has not been vaccinated could come across fecal matter in a yard and stop to sniff, lick or eat it and quickly become infected, he said.
* David Palmer may be contacted at 256-734-2131, ext. 213, or dpalmer@cullmantimes.com.
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Cullman County Animal Shelter employee Kristina Ostberg carefully grooms a female adult chihuahua Wednesday afternoon after a flea bath at the shelter. Malnourished and covered in fleas, employees nicknamed the dog Avatar, after the James Cameron movie, because she “needed a little empowerment” after her ordeal. Amanda Shavers-Davis
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Cullman County Animal Shelter gets all clear
Veterinarian: Cases of parvo on upswing, get pets vaccinated
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The Times' Morning Update for Monday, May 20, 2013
Good morning, readers, this is what's happening in your county today:
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