St. Louis County reviews parvovirus outbreak and shelter operations after 28 dogs test positive, 19 euthanized

St. Louis County Council committee members held a May 29 hearing to review shelter operations at the county Animal Care and Control Adoption Center after a parvovirus outbreak in April left 28 dogs testing positive and 19 dogs humanely euthanized.

Dr. Kanika Cunningham, director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, told the committee the outbreak revealed breaks in intake and clinical monitoring. “So far, we have found that established protocols were not followed in monitoring some of the animals at intake,” she said, and added that “as of today, we have had no new cases in over a month.”

The council hearing focused on three intertwined problems: the parvovirus outbreak and clinical response, repeated state inspection findings tied to facility, sanitation and capacity issues, and staffing and supervision during and after the county’s February takeover of shelter operations from a contractor known in the transcript as APA.

What county officials said

Dr. Cunningham described steps taken and investigations launched. She told the committee she requested an HR investigation “early on” to review what contributed to the outbreak and protocol lapses. Committee members were told the first confirmed parvo case was identified in mid-April and that testing in shelter care identified 28 positive dogs; 19 were euthanized and nine were transferred to partner rescues or fostered, county staff said.

Dr. Cunningham also reported that the county does not currently hold a Department of Agriculture license for the facility; county staff said the license application had been resubmitted to the Missouri Department of Agriculture on May 23. “We are operating without a license, but we are working closely with the Missouri Department of Agriculture in good faith,” she told the committee.

New operations leadership and steps underway

The county introduced Malik Johnson as its new division director for Animal Care and Control. Johnson told the committee he had “an operations background” in the private sector but “I don't have direct shelter management experience,” and said he is focused on operational controls and accountability. He described immediate changes he put in place since starting: an hourly kennel checklist for staff and a requirement that completed checklists be left for supervisory review at the end of every shift.

Johnson said staff recruitment is ongoing. Officials told the committee the county had planned to hire about 25 animal control officers (ACOs) but had onboarded roughly 12–15 with turnover; at the time of the hearing county staff reported 19 ACOs on duty.

Testing, clinical care and euthanasia decisions

The hearing included extensive questions from council members about why so many infected animals were euthanized. Dr. Cunningham told the committee that treatment had been provided to some animals before euthanasia decisions were made but said the details of clinical decision‑making and whether protocols were followed are part of the HR review. When asked whether she had been consulted before the euthanasias, Dr. Cunningham said, “No. I was not consulted.”

Council members repeatedly pressed for clinical records documenting treatment and observation, and county staff agreed to provide clinical notes stored in the shelter’s case-management system (referred to in testimony as “Chameleon”) as well as SOPs for intake, infection control and cleaning.

State inspections and facility capacity

Missouri Department of Agriculture inspection reports were read into the record: an initial inspection tied to the county application took place Feb. 13, a follow-up March 17 and a third inspection on May 14. Inspectors cited recurring problems that included damaged kennel hardware, rusted fixtures, insect infestations and expired medications, and noted capacity challenges that left dogs housed in nonstandard locations during peak intake.

Dr. Cunningham told the committee the shelter’s physical layout and limited isolation space create an ongoing risk for contagious outbreaks. She asked the council for help moving animals out of the shelter more quickly, including support for a proposed county ordinance (referred to in the hearing as Bill 41) to reduce adoption fees temporarily to increase adoptions and relieve capacity pressure. At the time of the hearing officials reported 201 dogs and 35 cats in county care and cited an estimated humane-housing capacity of roughly 300 animals when staff hours and other needs are included. Cage counts given at the hearing were 180 small-dog cages, 70 medium-dog cages and 120 large-dog cages.

Questions left open

Committee members pressed for timelines and documentation. Dr. Cunningham and Johnson committed to provide the council with the shelter’s standard operating procedures, Chameleon clinical records for affected animals, current staffing rosters and training records, and the daily cleaning logs Johnson has begun collecting. Dr. Cunningham also told the committee she had asked for council questions in advance to prepare fuller answers and said she would follow up by email on items not resolved during the hearing.

Why this matters

The county is juggling a public‑health incident affecting shelter animals, outstanding state inspection findings, a pending HR investigation into how clinical decisions and SOPs were handled during the outbreak, and an operational transition after taking shelter management from a contractor. Council members and volunteers told the committee they want fuller transparency and faster fixes to reduce the risk of future outbreaks and rebuild public trust in shelter operations.

What the committee requested

Council members requested the following within two weeks: the shelter’s written SOPs (including intake and infection control), documentation of veterinary clinical notes for the parvo cases, hiring and training records for ACOs, a current organizational chart, and the HR‑investigation status. County staff agreed to provide the requested records and follow up with Missouri Department of Agriculture licensing status.

The conversation closed with public comment from volunteers and veterinary‑trained community members who urged the county to adopt widely used outpatient and foster‑based parvovirus treatment protocols, improve intake vaccination and foster placement for puppies, and maintain clearer, written reporting lines so inspection and clinical findings reach department leadership immediately.