Dr. Douglas Pernicoff, the veterinary director who worked at the St. Louis County animal shelter from Jan. 21, 2025, until May 9, testified June 26 that limited isolation capacity, shortages of staff and medical supplies, and the absence of finalized written protocols contributed to decisions to euthanize roughly 19 animals during a parvovirus outbreak in April and May.

The testimony came during a Committee of the Whole hearing that the council convened to continue its investigation into shelter operations after the county takeover from the APA earlier this year. The committee’s stated purpose for the hearing included “updates on shelter operations … including but not limited to the parvo outbreak,” and members entered county ordinances and resolutions into the record as evidence.

Why it matters: the county-run shelter houses hundreds of animals and a sudden infectious outbreak can spread quickly in congregate settings. Pernicoff told the council the shelter population numbered “about 240 animals” at the time and that a first clinically positive dog—what he called “patient 1”—was located in a large communal kennel and could not be moved because the facility had no legitimate isolation or quarantine space.

Pernicoff said the initial positive test prompted staff to implement personal protective equipment, revaccination and increased cleaning, but that options for individual treatment were limited by equipment, supplies and staff. “The typical dog would cost about 1,100 to 1,200 to treat,” he said of intensive monoclonal-antibody treatments used in some clinics, and added the shelter did not have enough supplies or staffing to provide that level of individualized care for dozens of animals.

He described the immediate situation: “We had to leave [the dog] there, and we initiated a closed supervision of that particular kennel … We implemented PPE,” and later, after clinical signs spread, a supervisory group produced a list of animals recommended for euthanasia. Pernicoff confirmed in answer to council questions that he did not call Dr. Cunningham before some euthanasias and told the committee, “I was remiss in not calling her that we were gonna euthanize animals, but I'm sure she was aware of what was going on.”

On the mechanics and clinical rationale, Pernicoff said the shelter lacked the inpatient resources of a veterinary hospital: “Treatment requires intensive on-site development. We didn't have staffing for it, nor did we have supplies to treat an animal … We're a shelter.” He told the council the standard of care for parvovirus includes IV fluids, anti-nausea medications and antibiotics, and that some monoclonal antibody products existed but were cost-prohibitive for large adult dogs.

Pernicoff described a timeline in which the first clinically positive dog was identified around April 19–20, and in the ensuing days staff reported additional positives appearing in other kennels. He estimated that after the initial cases, another roughly 15 animals were euthanized over a short period as clinical illness spread and as some animals had additional reasons for euthanasia (for example, biting an employee, which required brain submission for rabies testing). He said he later prepared an abbreviated parvovirus protocol and distributed it to supervisory staff, but that it was not formally signed off by Dr. Cunningham before the mass of euthanasias.

Council members questioned whether euthanasia decisions were made by a committee. Pernicoff described a supervisory team that typically included veterinary staff, the licensed veterinary technician Nikki Bennett, the population manager (identified in testimony as Alyssa Cataba), and ACO representatives. He said, “It could be anywhere from 3 to 5 people, I would guess,” and that the intended policy was majority-rule supervisory decisions for non-emergency euthanasia. He denied making unilateral euthanasia decisions for the parvo cases.

Pernicoff also walked the council through photographs of the euthanasia room and a backroom storage area, describing limited space for intake and isolation. He testified that intake vaccination and quarantine procedures were “supposed to” occur at intake but that, in practice, intake completion slipped because of staffing shortages. He said the LVT had repeatedly offered training and intake templates and that documentation should exist in the shelter’s Chameleon records but that conversion and access problems complicated retrieval.

On communication, Pernicoff told the committee he regularly emailed and talked with supervisory staff but acknowledged he failed to give Dr. Cunningham direct notice before euthanasia actions began. He told the council he later apologized to Dr. Cunningham and that he had assumed other supervisors (for example, Dr. Burris or ACO leadership) would be informing her because “we weren't living in a vacuum there.” Dr. Burris was identified in testimony as “the assistant [to the] department of public health.”

Pernicoff framed the outbreak response as constrained by funding and structure: he told the council the shelter’s pharmacy and equipment budgets were limited, that the county procurement process delayed routine items (he cited IV lines and testing kits), and that staffing levels were far below those previously used by APA. “We averaged 5 to 7 [cage cleaners],” he told council members, versus “15 to 17” under the prior operator, and he said those staffing gaps affected the ability to isolate, clean and monitor animals.

What the committee asked for next: council members requested more records, including Chameleon intake and clinical logs for individual animals and other documents produced in response to subpoenas. Pernicoff provided documents the committee requested while under subpoena and left materials with the clerk for copying.

Context and constraints: Pernicoff said he had initially resigned on Feb. 17 and was briefly re-engaged at the department’s request; he left again after the May euthanasia events. He characterized the shelter as “not a hospital” and said the county’s transition away from APA control included gaps in staffing, vendor access and operational readiness.

The committee paused Pernicoff’s testimony after 5:30 p.m. to proceed to scheduled public speakers; members said he would be recalled if further testimony was needed.

Ending: Pernicoff urged structural fixes including more staffing, clearer procurement access, and additional clinical equipment and isolation space. Council members repeatedly asked for the shelter’s clinical records and intake logs during follow-up work to the subpoenas and document production.