Council committee hears veterinarian describe parvovirus outbreak, 19 euthanasias and gaps in shelter operations

St. Louis County Council members heard sworn testimony June 26 describing a parvovirus outbreak at the county animal shelter that, according to the witness, resulted in roughly 19 animals being euthanized over several days and exposed weaknesses in shelter staffing, quarantine capacity and clinical supplies.

The hearing focused on testimony from Dr. Douglas Pernicoff, a veterinarian who worked in the shelter after the county assumed operations earlier this year. Pernicoff said the first clinically positive dog (which he described as “patient 1”) surfaced in mid-April inside a large kennel that could not be isolated. He told the committee that the shelter lacked legitimate isolation space and sufficient staffing and supplies to treat multiple parvovirus cases at once, and that those constraints were central to the decision to euthanize infected animals.

Why it matters: The testimony ties operational shortfalls — limited quarantine cages, shortages of IV lines and other supplies, and a delayed set of county standard operating procedures — to life-or-death decisions taken during a fast-moving infectious outbreak. Council members and public speakers used the hearing to press for document production, clarity on who had authority to approve procedures, and additional funding or policy changes to reduce future risk.

Pernicoff said the first positive animal was detected in kennel 500 and “we had to leave it there. There was no place for legitimate isolation and quarantine of that animal.” He said staff implemented PPE and increased cleaning and revaccination, and that after the first confirmed case additional dogs began showing clinical signs over a…