Utah animal shelter seeking donations for lone survivor of parvo outbreak
WEBER COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — The Weber County Animal Shelter is asking for donations for the only surviving dog infected by a recent outbreak of canine parvovirus at the facility.
Lisa Weiss, an animal care specialist at the shelter, said they’ve had four confirmed cases of canine parvovirus. Of those dogs, their only survivor so far is a 15-month-old mixed-breed dog named Oliver.
ORIGINAL STORY: Utah animal shelter in quarantine after deadly disease outbreak
In a Facebook post, Weber County Animal Services said they appreciate the community asking how they can help following the outbreak. One option, they wrote, is donating toward Oliver’s care.
Oliver has been with the Mountain West Veterinary Specialists getting treatment for the virus since Friday and is still too sick to transfer to another vet clinic.
“Treatment for dogs with parvo is very expensive and we are not funded to cover these costs,” the post said.
If you’re interested in donating, the shelter said to call Mountain West at 801-683-6201 and tell them you are donating for Oliver.
Weiss said that Oliver is currently having a difficult time keeping food down right now, but his white blood cell count is rising.
“Mountain West has a few techniques to help him with digestion. He will be spending another night there tonight. We are all pulling for him,” she said.
Oliver has been at the shelter since January this year.
“When he first arrived, he was so scared he didn’t want anything to do with any of us. Through the help of our volunteers, Oliver has made strides here at the shelter and has become a favorite amongst the shelter staff and volunteers. He enjoys playing with other dogs and if we can pull him through this rough time, he will go into our adoption program,” Weiss said.
Utah animal shelter in quarantine after deadly disease outbreak
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, canine parvovirus, or “parvo,” is a highly contagious disease caused by canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) that attacks white blood cells and the gastrointestinal tract of dogs.
AVMA said that the disease is easily spread by direct contact with infected dogs, contact with feces from infected dogs, or contact with virus-contaminated surfaces — including kennels, food and water bowls, collars and leashes, and the hands and clothing of people who handle infected dogs.
On Monday, April 1, Weber County Animal Services announced they are unable to adopt any dogs until April 10 as the shelter undergoes a quarantine due to the outbreak. They’re also asking anyone with their dogs at the facility to pick them up immediately.
Weiss said that a dog can carry parvovirus in its system for 5-7 days before symptoms appear.
“We know who our patient zero is. Unfortunately, he did pass away from parvovirus because it just it struck him really fast and really hard,” she said.
Weiss said the first dog who was infected was acting lethargic, drooling and had diarrhea.
“He was not eating or drinking anything. We have a test that we can do, it’s a fecal test, and we took the sample and the test did come back positive,” she said.
The shelter is having no new dogs stay in the room where parvovirus was found. She said shelter workers are using special personal protection equipment as they enter the room, which is being thoroughly cleaned each day with heavy-duty supplies.
Weiss also said that any dog who comes in as a stray will be getting a canine parvovirus booster, whether they may need it or not.
“Since we don’t know the back history of these dogs, right now, we’re giving it to them as a little bit of a shield to help in case they do come in contact with it,” she said.
The AVMA said that vaccination is key to protecting dogs from parvovirus, and boosters are recommended to maintain that protection.
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