The Hall County Animal Shelter will delay opening to the public until noon today to deep clean the facility following the confirmation of several cases of parvovirus.
“Our primary concern is the health and well-being of our animals, and we are taking all necessary steps to address the outbreak,” Hall County Animal Services Director Trey Garcia said. “All of the infected and at-risk animals have been quarantined, and we are taking every precaution to ensure our facility is thoroughly disinfected.”
Parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease which causes vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration and is a common occurrence in open-admission animal welfare facilities due to the nature of facility operations.
“Since we take in so many animals from a variety of situations, there is always a greater chance of illness and disease – the bulk of our intakes have no prior veterinary care,” Garcia said.
In addition to the quarantine and preventative measures, the shelter has conducted Titer testing (blood tests that measure the level of antibodies against diseases like rabies, distemper, and parvovirus to determine if immunity is present) on the dogs exposed to the virus to ensure they are not at risk of infection.
The Hall County Animal Shelter will continue regular operations following the delayed opening while maintaining strict protocols to ensure the virus does not spread further.