Santa Rosa County Animal Shelter under emergency quarantine, parvo found in deceased pet

SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (WEAR) — Earlier this week the Santa Rosa County Animal Shelter took measures to stem the spread of a feline virus known as parvo.

There's been less activity there. A sign announcing an emergency quarantine and a suspension of cat adoptions says it all.

"We found the first case in an autopsy on a deceased pet. So we went through and had a suspicion," Dr. Megan Arevalo, a local veterinarian.

The sense of urgency is because the virus can strike suddenly, with little indication of a problem, and can be fatal.

"The main symptom you should watch for is vomiting and diarrhea at home. But the biggest worry is actually sudden death. So there are no symptoms or signs you can detect. So that's the big worry on why we're being overcautious in protecting our kitties," said Arevalo.

Cat and kitten owners are urged to have their pets vaccinated. The shelter has undergone a massive disinfecting regimen. But other measures are also in place that will govern all future adoptions

"We've totally changed our protocols. We have started vaccinating on the intake. We've started using a cleaning thing called rescue," said Arevalo.

The quarantine period, and suspension of adoptions will last until two weeks after the last case. That leaves the shelter with at least another 10-12 days before they can give the all clear.

The shelter says they have identified a total of four cases. They say the virus is not contagious to humans, dogs or other cats that have been vaccinated.