SCRAPS pauses dog adoptions, intakes following deaths tied to Parvo outbreak

Four dogs within the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection shelter have died this month as the agency contends with an outbreak of a highly contagious virus circulating among its adult dog population.

SCRAPS Director Ronnie Schlabs said in a news conference Tuesday that five dogs in total have contracted canine parvovirus since Dec. 10, with all but one showing symptoms severe enough to necessitate euthanasia.

The one surviving dog thus far is receiving intensive care from a local veterinarian, Schlabs said.

Commonly referred to as “parvo,” the virus attacks an animal’s intestinal tract, leading to a loss of appetite, vomiting, dehydration, fever, lethargy and severe, often bloody, diarrhea. Parvo is highly contagious, and is transmitted through contact with infected dogs, surfaces they’ve touched, their fecal matter and the people who handle them. Research shows the virus can live for months to even years, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Puppies, with their still-developing immune systems, are the most susceptible, Schlabs said. There is no specific drug available to kill the virus in infected dogs, so treatment usually focuses on supporting the infected dogs’ systems until they’re healthy enough to go without.

“Unfortunately, with parvo, once the symptoms show up, they can go downhill really, really fast,” Schlabs said. “So parvo is one of those diseases where you want to catch it and prevent it with vaccines, because once they’re sick, it’s a really tough road.”

The outbreak has led Spokane County officials to pause all adoptions and nonemergency dog intakes for the next two weeks to allow time for the virus to potentially be eradicated. Schlabs said that closure could be extended, as it can take up to two weeks before an infected dog starts showing symptoms.

The announcement of the parvo outbreak at SCRAPS followed the temporary closure of another animal shelter in Spokane because of an unrelated sickness.

Over the weekend, nonprofit SpokAnimal announced half of the roughly 30 dogs in its care have contracted an unidentified respiratory illness that’s led to some cases of pneumonia. Executive Director Dori Peck told The Spokesman-Review Monday that the organization is still waiting on test results to determine what may be circulating.

The pausing of intakes at SCRAPS and SpokAnimal likely will strain the regional system, as the two closures mean the Inland Northwest’s capacity for stray dogs is greatly reduced.

“It presents a whole new challenge,” Schlabs said.

Schlabs said that puppy adoptions will carry on at SCRAPS as the young dogs are kept separately from the adult population, and that the same extends to the cat side of operations. The virus is not zoonotic, meaning it does not jump from dogs to other species.

“We want to make sure that any animals that we may be reintroducing in our community, or adopting into homes to families, are healthy and wouldn’t possibly bring a contagious disease into the home,” Schlabs said.

One of the infected dogs was adopted by a family before the outbreak, which led in part to the identification of the virus, Schlabs said. That dog was diagnosed with parvo after it was taken to a vet by the family, who in turn notified SCRAPS.

Schlabs added that the strain circulating through the shelter has not been detected by in-house testing thus far, only bloodwork.

“It’s a very resistant little virus, so we are disinfecting, that’s why we’re restricting staff, restricting entrance into those areas,” Schlabs said. “The best thing right now is to isolate. We’re crossing our fingers with our cleaning protocols and the onboard vaccines that the animals already have that nobody else becomes ill.”

Vaccination is the best form of protection against the virus, and Schlabs encouraged dog owners throughout the county to ensure their pets are up to date on their boosters.

The American Animal Hospital Association and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association recommend starting at 6 to 8 weeks of age with boosters every two to four weeks until a dog is 4 months or older. Another booster should be administered once a dog is between 6 months and a year old, followed by routine boosters every three years.

Those who have recently adopted a dog from SCRAPS should monitor their pet for symptoms, and are “highly encouraged” to arrange a visit with a veterinarian as soon as possible, Schlabs said. SCRAPS provides a full medical history and a parvo vaccine, among other inoculations, as part of the adoption process.

“It’s very nasty to have to treat. It can be very expensive to treat,” Schlabs said. “So if you do have a pet, please make sure they’re up on other vaccines.”

Schlabs stepped into his role as the director of the animal protection service earlier this month, after his predecessor Jessi Ferrari vacated the position in July. A Nebraska transplant, Schlabs brings 18 years of experience in animal welfare, with his most recent roles as senior director of field services for the Nebraska Humane Society and superintendent of animal welfare for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Between two to three dozen dogs are currently in SCRAPS’ care, Schlabs said, which is near the shelter’s capacity. Without dogs leaving as part of the adoption process for the next few weeks, SCRAPS will need to prioritize intakes for dogs in emergency situations like an injury or a threat to the public.