Earlier this month, Char-Meck ACC in NC held an offsite adoption event at SouthPark Mall. One of the dogs who was adopted, Ginger, broke with parvo shortly after the new owners brought her home. The owners wisely contacted the pound to advise them of the deadly disease.
The pound’s vet Dr. Mary Blinn says Char-Meck does “everything in our power” to prevent incidents such as this from happening, including vaccination. When asked specifically about testing dogs at adoption events for parvo, she explains that testing isn’t the valuable tool some might think:
“That doesn’t guarantee they were not exposed to parvo and won’t break with it later,” Blinn said. “It just means when I did the test that day, it was negative.”
Fair enough. Dr. Blinn’s opinion seems to be that even if a dog is vaccinated and appears healthy, it doesn’t mean the dog might not already have been exposed to parvo and will become symptomatic after adoption. So what about the other 14 dogs who were with Ginger at the adoption event that day?
[…] Blinn said animal control has decided not to notify the owners of other dogs adopted out with Ginger at SouthPark Mall.
Wow. Not even a heads up, these are the symptoms to watch for, don’t take your dog to the park type phone call? Is this doing “everything in our power” to keep the community’s dogs healthy?
Blinn said parvovirus is most often spread through feces, and officials don’t think any of the dogs went to the bathroom inside the mall over the weekend.
We don’t think any dogs pottied at the mall. For real? I guess Ginger was the only dog at Char-Meck to have parvo and was kept isolated from every other dog there including being walked at a separate location? Does that seem at all plausible?
Not only is Char-Meck not giving a heads up to the other new owners whose dogs were with Ginger, they went on TV to invite the general public to bring their dogs to the pound the weekend after the adoption event for a free rabies shot.
In recent months (March is not posted at this time), Char-Meck has been killing roughly 40% of the dogs in its care. Everything in our power, blah.
Quoted from CMPD AC’s faceboook post: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/animalscmpd
“It was a busy day yesterday but very much a success. 280 rabies shots were given and 64 dogs and cats were spayed or neutered. Thanks to everyone that worked hard during this event.”
Lets all hold our breath for the Parvo incubation period…
Thanks for posting! I’m re-posting … it’s getting hard to keep up with all the NC pounds spewing disease out in to the community.
Well, if I had one of the other foster dogs, I’d rather take my chances that it won’t develop the disease than to bring it back to the pound. I suspect it would get killed there, along with other dogs , you know, because that’s one way of doing everything in their power to keep the community’s dogs healthy.
No doubt. The article indicates AC offered her a “refund” but she chose to have Ginger treated instead. But the other adopters should at least be aware of what symptoms to watch for and that their dogs may be contagious to other dogs.
I had a stray that I had vaccinated for DHPP – Distemper/Hepatitis/Parvo/Parainfluenza – before I relinquished him to the animal shelter. He got parvo at the shelter in spite of having the vaccination.
I feel for the folks who adopted the pup with Parvo. I know it’s heartbreaking to see even a new dog suffer the symptoms, even if he/she can be saved, but the likelyhood is slim.
The shelter where I volunteer takes in pups with parvo. When we have them they are quarantined in a “parvo” area in the clinic. People who go back there have to wear booties to prevent spreading it on your shoes. Also I am told parvo mutates very quickly so a test might return a false negative, as well as a vaccine not work on a newly mutated virus. This is beyond irresponsible.
FYI, the shelter holds free rabies and s/n clinics every second saturday of the month. Those who avail themselves of this clinic don’t go past the front of the facility and don’t go anywhere near the adoption kennels.
Thanks for the FYI but the basic point stands. As a dog owner, I would like to be able to have the information to make an informed decision. If I’m thinking about bringing my puppy to a free rabies clinic, I’d like to know if the place is experiencing a parvo outbreak. By saying nothing, and/or perhaps figuring “Hey, they’re not going near the adoption kennels”, that’s the shelter making the decision for me, without my consent. And I can’t give consent without the information.
As a RESPONSIBLE dog owner if you’re taking a puppy to the free rabies clinic, and assuming it’s at least four months old, which is the minimum age for rabies, I would certainly hope that said puppy would have had a couple rounds of distemper/parvo vaccinations before even taking it to shop at Petsmart. And while ACOs use the back entrance to process strays, there is no telling what the idiot public will bring in. How do you control that?
And as for the cats in traps, I work with feral cats doing TNR and they are probably ferals that somebody got tired of pooping in the flower bed and/or spraying car tires, so AC is called to bring out a trap to get rid of the “problem.” They don’t care if he cat dies. Yeah, the pictures are crummy but unless you plan to call in a professional pet photographer it is what it is. If it’s your pet it should be chipped or have ID. Better yet, it should be in your house. And even if the cat is on Pet Harbor you still need to go in person to che
to check the kennels because descriptions cam vary.
Finally, let me be the first to say I am no big fan of AC. Some day I will relate my horror with them but not on this stupid smart phone. What bugs me are those who piss and moan but do not step forward to offer solutions. At least at the Friends of Feral Felines general meeting last week Mark Balestra came and handed out 100 FREE s/n vouchers to colony caretakers and made it clear they support TNR. To me it’s a positive.
You know what’s an even better way to show you support TNR? Stop killing feral cats.
There are solutions available to what ails Char-Meck. They are the programs of the No Kill Equation and can be implemented today, if the leadership had the will to do it.
Guess what…nobody wants to kill feral cats. You’re preaching to the choir on that one. So where do you suggest they go? FFF is always looking for barn homes and other places. The solution is s/n to prevent he kittens being born and to get people to stop sending them to AC to begin with..
the front of this crazy place:CHARLOTTE MECK. CO. ANIMAL CONTROL IS WHERE THE INCOMING ANIMALS ARE RELINQUISHED AND CLAIM FROM., not a lot of care there; look at the pictures of The lost animals they have pictures of. caged animals with urine pools on the floor next to them . look at pictures and you will get what kind of CARE these poor animals are getting!
First, I am convinced that this dog did NOT have parvo. No dog that tests positive for parvo looks that good in a few days. These tests give false positives. Do the research or call the CVS specialists. They see it all the time. I personally just had one: tested positive one day and negative the next. Furthermore, this shelter does not use a gas chamber and has NOT used one for 25 years. I wish all these so called animal lovers would direct their compassion and concern to places like Gaston, Iredell, Union, and Cabarrus Counties that shove animals in gas chambers every day, do not vaccinate on intake, and offer NO medical care to injured animals. Do the math and take Pit Bulls out of the equation for the animals that are HUMANELY euthanized in Charlotte. Take up a REAL “cause” for the animals instead of attacking the people that work there. This is a personal/personnel issue and ultimately has nothing to do with animals. If it did, you would be attacking the other area shelters.
Guess you have a problem with the Humane Society of Charlotte, too, since they are partners?
Sorry, I can’t “take Pitbulls out of the equation”. It’s this thing I have called a conscience. Just follows me everywhere.
Then take it to the County Commissioners and City Council. They are the ones that set the rules about adoption of pit bulls. Actually, pits can be adopted thru a rescue group. Any pit is available if someone will step up and inquire and get approved thru the rescue group. It is not the shelter. Walk the walk and talk the talk. I do.
The talk you talk is enabling the needless killing of pets. I’ll pass.
Methinks there is a lot of blame and reaponsibility for these problems placed on government agencies. AC is not the one who created the pet overpopulation. They’re already euthanizing kittens, especially newborns because idiots call for them to be picked up instead of letting the mamas come get them. I don’t know where you live, but come to my side of Charlotte where stupid people breed their Pits thinking they’re going to make money selling puppies. With more supply than demand, coupled with a bad-breed reputation and the mentality of throw-away pets, what are the options?
You can quote NKN all you want, but how do you get to the root of the problem – people who will NOT sterilize their animals? I talk to guys about fixing their dogs and you’d think I was going to hack THEIR nuts off, which is tempting.
The No Kill Equation addresses the challenges you mention and much more in a comprehensive set of programs proven to save pets’ lives. The biggest stumbling block is not the “idiots” who call for kitten pickup – I call them compassionate people btw, as they are concerned for the welfare of the kittens and calling an agency they believe will care for them – but those already in the system. The shelter workers and their defenders are the ones doing and enabling the killing. The killing won’t stop until those on the inside stop killing and stop defending the killing.
I see no defense in killing any animal.
Wow! So irresponsible [of the shelter]. Lets hope it doesnt spread too far. Ive never had a dog with parvo but I know about how contagious it is.