Many dogs left at Elkhart County shelter infected with parvo

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By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Sep 16, 2008 at 7:50 AM EST

Story Updated: Sep 16, 2008 at 7:58 AM EST

BRISTOL, Ind. (AP) — Many of the dogs left at the Humane Society of Elkhart County recently have been infected with parvo, a contagious virus that affects the animal's digestive system.

In the past two months, 12 infected dogs have been brought to the shelter, and four of the six that were left in drop-off cages overnight were dead by the morning, Humane Society director Eric Durcinka said.

"I've never seen a year as bad as this," Durcinka said. "It's such a dangerous disease for shelters."

Parvo cannot be transmitted to humans or to other animal species such as cats.

But Durcinka said the infection, which occurs mainly in puppies, is easily passed from dog to dog, and because of the risk, the shelter had to close its cages for a week for sanitary precautions.

Officials in neighboring St. Joseph County have not noticed much of a parvo increase this year, despite a rise in the number of puppies coming into the shelter, director Dr. Carol Ecker said.

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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com

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