The Dillingham animal shelter experienced a parvovirus outbreak recently stemming from a pair of dogs that were dropped off last month. Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious virus affecting mainly dogs, and is transferred by direct or indirect contact from feces of those infected. The virus mainly affects young unvaccinated dogs and those without close contact to their mother’s antibodies. Dillingham Police Chief Dan Pasquariello says that an individual dropped off a male and female pair of puppies after finding them on a road outside of the city limits. He says the husky lab pups were then adopted, but the male was soon brought back because it was acting lethargic and appeared ill.
“The puppy was observed and wasn’t getting better so that male puppy was euthanized. A couple days after that the person that adopted the animals contacted the shelter and said the female puppy was now getting ill. They sent that puppy to anchorage and they found that the puppy had the parvovirus.”
Pasquariello says after the virus was discovered the animal control officer repeatedly sanitized the shelter to remove traces of the virus. He says the officer used Trifectant, a hospital grade chemical, to sanitize the indoor area. Pasquariello says the officer is moving the outdoor kennel, which was used with the puppies, to a separate location before the area is used. He says that in the future the shelter will focus more attention on its screening process.
“In the future we’ll be more attentive in screening animals brought to the shelter. We’ll do the best we can. The city has actually put a lot of effort into the animal shelter. The animal shelter used to be just a couple kennels behind the harbor master office. Then it was a small windowless building, now it’s a fairly large spacious building has outdoor areas for animals and a lot of effort was put into setting up the shelter by city staff and city council members. We hope to avoid problems like this in the future, but if problems do occur in the future with either parvo or some other type of canine disease we’ll deal with it as it comes along.”
Individuals are still encouraged to contact the department if stray animals are found by calling 907.842.5354. It is important to note that Canine parvovirus does not infect humans.