County witness describes parvovirus outbreak, says 19 shelter animals euthanized amid staffing and supply shortfalls

Dr. Douglas Pernicoff, a veterinarian who served at the St. Louis County animal shelter, told the Committee of the Whole on June 26 that a parvovirus outbreak in April led to about 19 animals being euthanized.

Pernicoff said the first clinically positive case — which he identified as “patient 1” — was in kennel 500 and was left in general population because the shelter had “no place for legitimate isolation and quarantine.” He testified the facility had roughly 240 animals at the time and that the outbreak spread rapidly across multiple kennels in a matter of days.

“The animal became clinical with diarrhea and vomiting,” Pernicoff said of the first positive dog. “We did a parvo test, and it came up positive.” He added that staff implemented personal protective equipment and revaccination, and that the shelter later identified and euthanized additional clinically positive dogs.

Why it mattered: Committee members were seeking detail after the county takeover from the Animal Protective Association (APA) earlier in 2025. Pernicoff framed the losses as the result of a confluence of operational limits — insufficient isolation space, low staffing levels, constrained procurement, and a delayed finalization of standard operating procedures — rather than a single decision.

Details from the hearing

- Scope and timing: Pernicoff said he began working at the shelter on Jan. 21, 2025, returned after an earlier resignation, and that his employment ended after a May 9 meeting. He placed the outbreak’s earliest clinical positive in mid-to-late April and said most of the subsequent euthanasias…