Central Missouri Humane Society halts dog intake after positive case of parvovirus

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Central Missouri Humane Society announced in a Thursday press release that it is temporarily halting its dog intake after a case of parvovirus was confirmed at the shelter.

Parvo is a contagious virus that affects dogs, according to the release. Signs of parvo include lethardy, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. It cannot jump from dogs to humans.

CMHS will suspend the intake of dogs for the next two weeks, the release says.

““Any time we identify a contagious illness in the shelter, our first priority is protecting the animals already in our care and preventing additional exposure,” Executive Director Julie Aber was quoted in the release. “Temporarily suspending dog intake gives our team the opportunity to contain the situation, closely monitor the dogs in our care and take the necessary precautions before bringing additional dogs into the shelter. We know this creates challenges for our community, and we are asking everyone to help us during these next two weeks.”

Community member who find stray dogs are being asked to “make every reasonable effort to reunite them with their families in the field rather than immediately bringing them to the shelter,” the release says.

CMHS will still be available to scan found dogs’ microchips.