Committee reviews St. Louis County shelter response after parvovirus outbreak; veterinarian says 19 animals were euthanized

St. Louis County Council’s Committee of the Whole continued an investigation Thursday into shelter operations and a parvovirus outbreak after the county took over animal care and control from the Animal Protective Association earlier this year. Dr. Douglas Pernicoff, the county’s veterinary director under subpoena, testified about the outbreak, staffing shortfalls, procurement problems and the shelter’s protocols.

Pernicoff said the first clinically positive parvovirus case appeared in mid- to late April and that the shelter “euthanized” an initial dog because there was no place to isolate or provide intensive treatment. He told the committee that supervisors subsequently identified a list of animals for euthanasia and that, over a short period, staff carried out roughly 19 euthanasias to try to stop spread in a population he estimated at about 240 animals.

Why it matters: County officials are examining whether the shelter had adequate procedures, staffing and supplies after the transfer from the APA and whether communications between on-site staff and Department of Public Health leadership were sufficient during the outbreak.

Pernicoff described the medical constraints that guided his team’s choices. He told the committee that an intensive…