Parvo is a resilient, highly contagious virus that affects dogs and puppies. It is resistant to many traditional disinfectants and can even be transmitted by fur and clothing (AVMA). It's not unusual for a shelter to occasionally have a puppy with parvo, but what do you do when your shelter keeps having outbreaks?

Campbell County Animal Shelter in Jacksboro, TN, faced the same question. The shelter had 11 parvo outbreaks in recent years. Their newly appointed director, Mez Bruce, decided this was unacceptable. She worked with the mayor and County commissioners to close the animal shelter for two weeks to allow for decontamination.

Bruce took a multi-pronged approach to prevent future outbreaks. The two weeks of closure allowed not only for the area to be disinfected, but also for employees to be trained in new protocols. "We took the time to educate our employees about cross-contamination," says Bruce. Here's what you can learn from Campbell County Animal Shelter:

Educate Your Staff

Bruce says educating the staff on cross-contamination was critical. We wear gloves, we have gowns. Our hands are washed before we touch a new litter of puppies. The employees that clean the puppy room don't clean the main kennel areas, says Bruce.

Look at Your Protocols

Puppies are much more susceptible to parvo than adult dogs, so Bruce focused her attention on the protocols surrounding puppies. Since the closure, the shelter has tried to keep puppies in foster care. This limits the chances of an outbreak because a sick puppy will have contact with fewer dogs in a foster home than it would in a shelter.

They also created a new area just for puppies, separate from the main kennel. Only trained staff are allowed to play with and care for puppies at the shelter—not volunteers. This limits the chances of contamination through clothes and toys. Thanks to support from the Friends of Campbell County Animals and the local Humane Society, the shelter now vaccinates all dogs on intake.

Clean Every Nook and Cranny

It’s very important to disinfect all areas where sick dogs have been. Bruce advises you to examine how you’re cleaning these areas, saying, “Make sure you've found a product that has proven to be effective against parvo. Many products claim to be effective but have not actually been tested.” Bruce began using Wysiwash, a disinfectant that has been shown by independent testing to kill parvo, to sanitize the shelter. During the two weeks of closure at the Campbell County Animal Shelter, all inside areas of the shelter were sprayed down three times daily with Wysiwash—even the lobby walls. Now that the outbreak is under control, they sanitize once a day. Other options are potassium peroxide or bleach, but if you use these agents, make sure to mix them in a strong enough concentration. If improperly mixed, they will not be able to kill the virus. Bruce believes this is one of the reasons the virus persisted in the kennel for so long, “Before we were using bleach, but it wasn’t being mixed properly, so it wasn’t effective.”

Reduce Exposure Risks in Outdoor Areas

Campbell County tried to kill parvo by burning the grass in their outdoor enclosure, but the grass was too green and wet. "Since parvo can live in the soil for up to six years after exposure, we decided to shut down our old grassy area. We were fortunate in that we had another area that was fenced in that hadn't been exposed. We only take healthy animals out there now. No puppies go outside." Some shelters also opt to install artificial turf, which can be sanitized, in their enclosures.

Build Relationships

Finally, Bruce stresses the importance of reaching out for help. While the shelter was closed, community volunteers fostered dogs that had been housed there. This is just one of the many reasons Bruce says that community support is vital to bouncing back, Build relationships with your local friends group and your local Humane Society. Without them, we wouldn't be able to vaccinate on intake.

Since the shelter reopened this spring, Bruce is happy to report there have been no outbreaks of parvo. Parvo may be wily, but as Campbell County Animal Shelter shows, parvo can be overcome by persistence and education.