PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Those who work with animal control in Putnam County have been scrubbing down the shelter with bleach.
The shelter and adoption center was shut down after they say rescue groups called them claiming five dogs taken from the shelter had parvovirus.
Veterinarian Dr. Annie Massey says parvo is very contagious.
“It is something that's curable but it is something that can be fatal as well,” said Dr. Massey.
She says parvo destroys the lining of the dog's small intestines and dogs can experience symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea and anorexia.
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“Some people think we're going to kill all the dogs. We're not going to kill all the dogs; we're monitoring them and right now they're looking pretty healthy,” said John Salmons, a worker for both animal control and code enforcement.
Salmons says usually when dogs come into the shelter, they’re vaccinated for parvo.
But we learned Tuesday there was a short period of time that some dogs didn’t get the shot because the shelter was waiting for a new batch of the serum to be delivered.
He says no animals will be allowed in or out of the shelter until they make sure it’s safe.
They plan on opening the shelter back up next Tuesday.