No new parvo cases means Spokane County animal shelter may reopen adult dog adoptions soon

Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service is on track to reopen next week, as long as all dogs in the agency’s care remain healthy.

Spokane County spokeswoman Martha Lou Wheatley-Billeter said Wednesday that there have been no additional cases of canine parvovirus within the shelter since the agency announced last week that five dogs had contracted the serious illness since Dec. 10. Four of those dogs were euthanized due to the severity of their symptoms, said SCRAPS Director Ronnie Schlabs.

“Parvo” is a highly contagious virus that attacks an animal’s intestinal tract, leading to a loss of appetite, vomiting, dehydration, fever, lethargy and severe, often bloody, diarrhea.

It is not uncommon for outbreaks to occur at gathering sites for dogs, as the virus can live on surfaces for years, and spreads through contact with sick dogs, their handlers or the surfaces they have interacted with.

In an attempt to curb the spread, Spokane County paused all adoptions and nonemergency dog intakes for two weeks, implemented cleaning procedures and limited staff access to the dog shelter areas.

“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 told The Spokesman-Review last week.

SCRAPS operations could return to normal sometime next week if the trend holds. Cat and puppy adoptions have been ongoing throughout the closure affecting adult dogs, and will continue . The virus is affecting adult dogs only, and the puppies have not been exposed because they are housed separately from adult dogs, where the virus was circulating.

Schlabs recommends dog owners ensure their pets are up to date with their vaccinations, which is the best defense against canine parvovirus. There are no treatments on the market that kill the virus in infected dogs, so treatment usually focuses on supporting the infected dogs’ systems until they are healthy enough to go without.

The American Animal Hospital Association and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association recommend starting vaccination 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.