SHELTER BACK ON TRACK
Facility not taking in any new animals as a precaution
Phil Fulton, manager of community outreach, tends to Georgina, one of the adoptable dogs at the Calgary Humane Society. The shelter partially reopened its doors Monday following a closure due to the discovery of canine parvovirus in two puppies.
Recovering after a deadly virus claimed the lives of two puppies last week, the Calgary Humane Society partially reopened its facility to the public Monday.
The shelter made the difficult decision to shut down after staff discovered several puppies seized by the Alberta SCPA from a rural breeder southeast of Calgary last week had contracted canine parvovirus.
“Whenever you have to close your doors you wonder what people are going to think,” said humane society spokesperson Sage Pullen McIntosh. “You know it’s the right thing to do, but you always have that fear in the back of your mind.”
Around 100 distressed dogs were seized from the property, and two puppies with advanced symptoms had to be euthanized last week. Pullen McIntosh said a third puppy had contracted the disease, but it was caught early enough to be treated.
Staff and volunteers at the shelter spent almost a week scrubbing, sanitizing and incinerating any disposable materials that could spread the highly contagious virus, which strikes the intestinal tract in canines.
Dr. Drew Van Niekerk, of the Calgary North Veterinary Clinic and a humane society board member, said the shelter did the right thing by shutting down until the disease was eliminated.
“I think the team here has responded exceptionally well to a very difficult situation,” he said. “This virus exists in almost every urban centre in the world, and dogs get sick very quickly.
“In a matter of 48 hours, puppies go from looking fairly normal to very debilitated.”
Van Niekerk said the virus is spread easily, often through the sniffing or ingestion of cat or canine feces. Severe dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea can lead to death in just three or four days if left untreated.
Dogs who are vaccinated early are immune to the disease, but Van Niekerk said puppies and immunosuppressed animals are highly susceptible.
Putting out a call to the Calgary community for fresh bedding and supplies after staff were forced to dispose any materials that could have come in contact with the disease, Pullen McIntosh said she was overwhelmed with the hundreds of linens, towels and blankets donated in a matter of hours.
“It was really emotional and heartwarming for the staff and volunteers to see this outpouring of support from the community,” she said.
“People were coming up to our doors non-stop dropping off bedding and towels — we even had people driving in from Edmonton and Red Deer.”
As a precaution, the humane society will not be taking in any new animals, but their adoption, reception and store areas are now open to the public.
This virus exists in almost every urban centre in the world, and dogs get sick very quickly. In a matter of 48 hours, puppies go from looking fairly normal to very debilitated.