Animal shelter awaits final results on dog deaths

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June 25, 2012

Animal shelter awaits final results on dog deaths

By Benjamin Bullard The Cullman Times The Cullman Times Mon Jun 25, 2012, 11:04 PM CDT

CULLMAN — The Cullman County animal shelter is continuing to turn away stray dogs while authorities investigate the cause of a disease outbreak that has claimed at least six animals over the past two weeks.

The shelter has implemented a quarantine on dogs since June 8. A date to lift the quarantine hasn’t yet been set, as shelter workers await results from the state diagnostics laboratory in Auburn to determine the nature of the animals’ common illness.

While two of the deceased dogs have tested positive for the highly contagious canine parvovirus, tests have not definitively shown that parvo is the only source of concern.

“We’ve not identified it,” said Cullman animal control captain Tim McCoy Monday. “Two were confirmed to have parvo, but we sent six to the lab, and the testing is not complete on those.”

“As far as parvo goes, we don’t know that it’s parvo — that’s why we’re under a quarantine,” added shelter manager Candie Horsley. “We are consulting with local veterinarians and with the state, and, basically, the wait that we’re going through right now is necessary for us to know what we’re up against.”

Until authorities can pinpoint what’s making the dogs sick, Horsley said the shelter will continue to turn away stray dogs while keeping its current dog population under quarantine.

“Today had been our projected date to start taking in dogs again,” she said Monday. “But, that’s going to have to wait until whenever the vets and the state agree that it’s optimal for us to begin intake again. We’ve sent samples of everything — from flooring to food to water — to try and get some answers on this. We don’t want it to spread.”

While some strains of parvovirus can infect cats, the frequency is universally rare, and hasn’t manifested among the shelter’s feline population.

“We haven’t had any cats sick at all at the shelter,” said Horsley. “So we’re not totally closed — we’re still open to take in the cats.”

On average, the shelter receives more than 600 animals per month. Many are rescued or placed in temporary foster homes, which can bide them some time while employees try to negotiate adoptions. But the majority of animals face euthanasia if they aren’t placed in permanent homes.

The shelter facility, located on Convent Road in Cullman, has 30 dog kennels, as well as space for a smaller number of cats, on site. Temporary foster homes further expand the shelter’s ability to house animals at any given time. While the standing population varies, Horsley said there are currently a combined 100 animals awaiting adoption, in spite of the ongoing quarantine.

County commission chairman James Graves said the shelter is using the downtime to renovate the flooring in the kennel area — a measure he hopes will ensure environmental factors won’t contribute to further illnesses.

“About four or five years ago, contractors had installed some type of flooring that has since begun to pull away from the walls,” said Graves. “It’s just a mess. They found that bacteria and other nasty things were able to get in behind all that and grow. I’ve authorized Tim [McCoy] to go ahead and have it sandblasted and disinfected, and then we’ll just go back to basic cement.”

Horsley didn’t speculate on whether the old floor has contributed to the present outbreak, but she welcomed the repairs.

“It’s been something that needed to be done,” she said. “You want to have a good surface; a clean surface, just as you would want in your home. We do our best to provide the animals with a clean environment, and we treat them humanely — always in the hope that we will be able to find them a suitable permanent home.”

* Benjamin Bullard can be reached by e-mail at bbullard@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.

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Animal shelter awaits final results on dog deaths

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