(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) The Animal Welfare League of Arlington reopened today, but its dog kennels remain closed after a disease outbreak.
The shelter near Shirlington said Thursday it was dealing with parvovirus, described as “a highly contagious virus that can affect all dogs.”
Parvo “affects dogs’ gastrointestinal tracts and is spread by direct dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces,” according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. It causes dehydration, is potentially deadly, and can only be cured by the dog’s own immune system.
“Out of an abundance of caution, our dog kennels are CLOSED until further notice due to parvovirus,” AWLA said via Facebook. “The affected dogs are being treated and we are currently deep-cleaning our kennels. We will update you all on the situation in the coming days. Our cat room and small companion animal room will remain open as usual for adoptions.”
AWLA spokeswoman Chelsea Jones said the shelter hopes “not to alarm the public or stop people from coming in to adopt.”
“We do expect the dog kennels to be open tomorrow,” Jones said.
Dog Kennel Update – now that we have finished a thorough deep clean and cared for the affected animals, we wanted to…
Posted by Animal Welfare League of Arlington on Friday, November 8, 2019
AWLA is OPEN today for general business, cat adoptions and small animal adoptions. Our dog kennels will remain closed until further notice. Thank you for your patience and understanding! https://t.co/ds4bO5ztO6
— AWLArlington, VA (@AWLAArlington) November 8, 2019