Parvo outbreak contained at St. Louis County animal shelter

CLAYTON, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page said on Sunday that officials believe the spread of canine parvovirus at the municipal animal shelter is now contained.

The announcement comes after 19 dogs at the St. Louis County Animal and Control Adoption Center were euthanized after testing positive for the virus, commonly known as Parvo.

“We are happy to report that great progress has been made and we are hopeful that we have contained the virus and prevented it from spreading to other animals,” Page said. “No new dogs have tested positive since Friday.”

Page said the decision to put the dogs down was a “difficult decision,” but with the virus spreading quickly, veterinarians recommended it was the best course of action and save the lives of many other animals.

“This was a difficult decision and has taken an emotional toll on the staff,” Page said. “With the virus quickly spreading, vet staff determined that humane euthanasia was necessary to stem the spread of the virus. The quick action has saved the lives of about 200 other dogs.”

The county has purchased additional crates to create a quarantine for animals who have tested positive. Staff have deep-cleaned the facility, and the shelter is working with local animal welfare organizations to house animals to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Department of Public Health Director Dr. Kanika Cunningham also spoke during the Sunday press conference. She outlined the ways the shelter worked to mitigate the damage from the virus, working with veterinarians and other organizations to ensure best practices were followed.

“As of this morning, there are no new positive Parvo cases and only one Parvo-positive dog remains in our care,” Cunningham said. “This is a positive indication that our early positive, proactive steps are making a difference.”

“Our shelter population is currently stable and we remain cautiously optimistic that our actions have helped to slow the spread of Parvo in our shelter.”

Cunningham said the best action at this time is to try and get the unaffected animals transferred to other animal welfare organizations. There are 185 dogs currently housed at the shelter after 32 were transferred earlier this week.

“Any area rescues who have space and means to take our healthy dogs, we urge you to reach out,” Cunningham said.

The shelter was closed Wednesday and throughout the week after officials detected the virus.

The outbreak happened as the county is in its third month of running the shelter, after taking back control from the Animal Protective Association, which managed the shelter since 2022.