Quarantines ordered at two metro animal shelters

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Inspectors from the Georgia Department of Agriculture ordered quarantines at animal shelters in DeKalb and Cobb County due to the possibility of a parvovirus outbreak.

Eighty-seven cats are isolated in DeKalb County animal shelter after an unknown number contracted feline parvovirus.
The Cobb County animal shelter placed 48 dogs, mostly puppies, under quarantine after one tested positive Thursday for parvovirus.

"Our affected rooms are our puppy and whelping room, where we have stray mothers with nursing puppies," said Lt. Cheryl Shepard, the shelter's director. "They're going to be quarantined for 14 days."

Shepard told Channel 2 Action News that state inspectors will allow rooms to reopen in two weeks if no other dog tests positive for parvovirus.

Adoptions are continuing, but the shelter's space is diminished during the quarantine and officials requested the public not drop dogs off.

Shepard also urged dog owners to take measures to keep their pets healthy.

"What the public can do to prevent this is to have their animal vaccinated against diseases." she said.

Parvovirus is very contagious, can permanently damage an animal's heart and cause life-threatening dehydration, according to the A.S.P.C.A. It can survive for months on food bowls, carpets, floors and shoes. Symptoms include loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea.

WSBTV