Pocatello Animal Shelter euthanizes four puppies, temporarily closes its doors after detecting contagious disease

POCATELLO – The Pocatello Animal Shelter has temporarily closed its doors to the public after detecting a potentially deadly disease among its animals.

Pocatello Animal Services tested four of the puppies in its care, and found that they had canine parvovirus, a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease. The animal shelter had to humanely euthanize these four puppies and close its doors to the public for an undetermined amount of time, according to a city news release on Friday.

“We appreciate your understanding and continued support during this time,” reads a Facebook post from Pocatello Animal Services, announcing the Friday closure, which is “effective immediately.”

The city’s news release states the puppies that tested positive were “exhibiting severe symptoms” and were euthanized to prevent the virus from spreading to the remaining animals in the facility.

At the time of the news release, around 4:30 p.m. Friday, ten other puppies have tested negative for the virus and are being closely monitored.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the shelter is temporarily closed to the public and volunteers to limit the risk of cross-contamination,” reads the news release.

Its post says that Pocatello Animal Services will be taking “proactive measures” to address this health concern.

“During this time, our team will be focusing on deep cleaning, medical care, and ensuring all animals are safe and well-supported. We will reassess the situation on Monday to determine our next steps,” reads the post.

The city’s news release adds, “Animal Services staff is working diligently to disinfect all affected areas and implement strict isolation protocols to contain the virus and ensure the safety and well-being of the animals at the shelter.”

The news release says they will release more information on the situation as it becomes available.

Pocatello Animal Services posted another Facebook post at 11 a.m. the same day, highlighting 10 dogs who had been at the animal shelter for two months or longer.

“These are the ones who rarely get asked to meet. The ones people scroll past. The ones who wait patiently day after day, tail wagging every time someone walks by, hoping maybe today will be the day someone sees them,” reads the post.

The morning post also states that most of the dogs at the shelter have been waiting to be adopted for more than a month.

EastIdahoNews.com will provide further details on this story as it becomes available.

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