Two Chattanooga-area animal shelters are temporarily closed due to suspected parvo outbreaks.
East Ridge Animal Services closed its shelter to the public and stopped adoptions Wednesday morning to initiate a 14-day quarantine of animals in its care and cleaning protocol of the shelter to prevent spread of the illness.
“They believe it’s parvo due to the symptoms, but laboratory testing has to take place,” Josh Creel, the city’s assistant police chief, who supervises the animal services department, said by phone.
A dog brought into the shelter showed symptoms of canine parvovirus, or parvo, a contagious virus that mainly affects dogs.
“The first dog that exhibited symptoms and became very, very ill had to be euthanized, which we try to avoid,” Creel said.