Despite rumors circulating around the community, County Dog Warden Bill Click said sick dogs are not being adopted out from the county’s dog shelter.

Tuesday, April 03, 2001

Despite rumors circulating around the community, County Dog Warden Bill Click said sick dogs are not being adopted out from the county’s dog shelter.

"We would not knowingly adopt out a sick dog," said Click, "We are not putting sick dogs out into the public."

"Right now we don’t have Parvo in the pound," Click said, but added that the disease could enter the pound at any time.

"If a dog has any sign of disease, the animal will be put to sleep," he said.

According to information published in veterinarian journals and textbooks, "Parvovirus" is a relatively new disease that appeared in the late 1970s. If a dog has Parvo, symptoms usually manifest in 7-10 days.

The symptoms generally include severe vomiting and diarrhea. Other symptoms include a lack of appetite, depression, and fever. Although every symptom may not appear in the sick dog, vomiting is usually the first sign the dog has the virus.

Click explained there is an increased risk of bringing the virus to the pound when people bring in unwanted puppies. He said some people will take their dogs to the veterinarian, learn their pet has Parvo and bring the animal to the shelter. He said the disease is highly infectious and can make the other dogs at the shelter sick.

"You can’t look at a dog and tell if it is getting sick with Parvo," Click explained, adding the animal can look healthy but still be carrying the disease.

Click said he and the shelter staff recommend that when someone adopts a dog from the shelter they take the dog to a veterinarian and have the dog immunized.

He said if a dog is brought to the shelter and appears healthy the shelter will put the animal up for adoption, but warned "there is always a chance the puppy is carrying a disease."