parvo "outbreak" at local pet store

[schelmischekitty]

Pet shop quarantined for parvo
By Winston Jones
The Georgia Department of Agriculture (DOA) has quarantined a Douglasville pet store due to an outbreak of canine parvovirus.

That Puppy Store, 2911 Chapel Hill Road, was inspected Dec. 29 by a DOA agent and placed on a 14-day quarantine, which is due to be lifted Friday if no additional cases are found.

`The quarantine means that no animals can come in or out of the store during that period,` said Yao Seidu, a DOA spokesman.

`People can go in, look at puppies or even buy them, but they cannot be taken from the store until the quarantine has been lifted.`

He said the store could sell other animals or animal supplies during the quarantine.

A phone message was left by the Sentinel with a store employee Monday afternoon for store owner Leslie Thompson. The Sentinel had not received a reply from Thompson by its production deadline.

Dr. Maggie Mercer, a Douglasville veterinarian, said canine parvovirus is `incredibly contagious.`

Mercer said the virus attacks the stomach and intestinal lining, causing it to shed completely, breaking down the barrier between the intestines and the body.

`The bacteria get out of the stomach and into the body,` she said. `It makes the animal very sick, usually with diarrhea.`

Mercer said because it is a virus, there is no known cure. The disease symptoms are treated with IV fluids and antibiotics to prevent dehydration and to support the body systems while rebuilding the intestinal lining.

    * Location: Douglasville

[LibbyP]

I can see people coming into the store being 'okay' but do they have something to step into before leaving the store? To prevent it from leaving the store?

[schelmischekitty]

i just opt that neither me or my dogs are going anywhere animal related (not even petco) just to be safe, being as i'd rather not chance diesel since he's just now starting to get healthy.  i think they should stop all business, simply because i wouldn't want to risk someone going there playing with puppies then going to another store with puppies.  i know that can cause financial problems though... couldn't they at least put the puppies in the back away from people?!

[LibbyP]

Ya I would think people might be able to look at the puppies but not touch them until the quarantine is over, even if they don't appear sick can they still 'shed' the virus? I wouldn't risk my dogs going there either

[schelmischekitty]

people are so greedy   they put profit above the health of animals.  apparently you can still buy them, you just can't bring them home until friday.

[mynameislola]

Parvovirus can survive in the environment for months, some sources claim as long as nine months, and can still cause infection.  Pups who are current on their vaccinations can catch it.

My little dogs sometimes go into pet stores but they get wrapped in their blankets and sit in the child seat. The blankets get washed with bleach as soon as we get home.

The local big box pet store here is gross.  It smells of dog urine and items on the lower shelves must be examined before touching them.  It is great for socializing non-housebroken puppies.

I can't wait till Zita is 16 weeks so she can go there.  13 weeks to go, yay.

[schelmischekitty]

we go to petco and petsmart, occasionally, but not often at all.  they keep the store very very clean, and i like how at petco there MIGHT be one other dog, but no more than 2 dogs at a time in the store, just because it isn't popular.   when i worked at animal fair (pet store) in nc, i bleached the floors, kennels, walls, everything.  anything that couldn't get bleached got disinfected then cleaned with good smelling stuff.  i don't see how pet stores can be nasty, i know when i worked at that one, i couldn't stand anything dirty, and got complimented every day i worked that the store didn't smell "like a pet store"