Pocatello Animal Shelter successfully contains parvovirus outbreak, how people can help them move forward

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Pocatello Animal Services is bouncing back from a recent outbreak of Canine Parvovirus, which spread to four puppies and prompted the shelter to close for quarantine and cleaning on April 25.

Animal Services leaders say they were forced to euthanize the four infected puppies to stop the virus from spreading, but, after diligent testing and disinfection, the disease has been contained and the shelter reopened with increased precautions on April 25.

"We are actively monitoring all the rest of the puppies in our care, and all of the dogs in general," said Sarah Moore of the Pocatello Animal Shelter. "We're testing them with parvo SNAP tests daily, just to make sure that we're on top of anyone who might start showing symptoms of it and keep them well-isolated."

Animal Services is also limiting the number of volunteers allowed in the shelter until they are sure the disease has been completely suppressed–they said they hope to return to normal operations in the next week.

Now, Moore said, the problem comes in keeping the shelter animals from going stir-crazy as they're sequestered to their kennels in an added precaution against causing a resurgence in parvovirus.

"They're spending a lot more time in their kennels than usual, and a lot more than we would like," said Moore. "We also are limiting how many toys we're distributing amongst the dogs, because everything that goes into a dog's kennel needs to get cleaned–it's another point of possible contamination between one dog to another–so we're really limiting how much the dogs are getting."

Moore said the community can help quell the dogs' boredom–the shelter is asking for donations of 'chews': items like bully sticks, beef cheek rolls, etc. which can provide a source of entertainment and also be eaten, eliminating the need for the toys to be disinfected and passed to other pets.

Donations of toys and chews will be accepted at the Pocatello Animal Shelter at 3100 Avenue of the Chiefs in Pocatello.

The shelter is also open for adoptions, with safety measures added to preserve the health of the shelter pets and visitors. For more information, you can contact the Pocatello Animal shelter by calling (208) 234-6156, or by visiting their website.