Dogs euthanised in 'difficult but necessary decision' as Queanbeyan pound closes indefinitely

CONTENT WARNING: This article contains information that may upset some readers.

All dogs at a Queanbeyan pound have been euthanised after a highly contagious disease was detected at the facility.

Earlier this month, a case of canine parvovirus was identified in a dog surrendered to the Queanbeyan Animal Management Facility.

A spokesperson said on Monday (21 October) the dogs were euthanised.

“The facility is not an animal hospital and with veterinary advice and attendance, we made the difficult but necessary decision to have all 21 dogs euthanised,” they said.

“We would like to thank the local veterinary community for their support and expertise over the last week, your assistance and direction has been much appreciated.”

After the disease was detected, the Animal Management Facility was closed so staff could clean the premises and test other dogs in its care. At the time, the closure was expected to last until this Thursday (24 October).

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council general manager Rebecca Ryan said the decision was made as the highly contagious disease spread through the pound.

“The disease was spreading rapidly. After veterinary advice and attendance, and with concern for the quality of life for the dogs, it was recommended that euthanising the dogs was the best course of action,” she said.

“The decision was made when we had multiple dogs suffering from parvovirus and testing positive, and advice from vets that the whole facility was likely to be infected.”

The pound will now be closed until further notice, in part so the facility can be cleaned.

“[This closure] is not just to do a deep clean and removing all contamination, but also to conduct a review of the incident at the facility and implement changes to processes,” she said.

“We’ve already made steps towards reworking the layout of the facility to help prevent future infection.”

Ms Ryan said ensuring a dog was vaccinated would help protect against parvovirus or similar diseases spreading among shelter populations.

“Unfortunately, we don’t always know the vaccination history of dogs that are surrendered to the facility, but dogs are vaccinated before they are adopted out to new owners,” she said.

“When we have puppies at the facility, we will start their vaccination schedule.”

Canberra vet Dr Michael Hayward previously told Region that puppies should be vaccinated at six weeks, with one or two doses following, depending on the brand used by the vet.

These should be followed by booster vaccines each year or every three years in adult dogs, again depending on the brand.

“We strongly encourage our community to ensure their dogs are vaccinated, and to be alert and keep an eye on their dog’s health,” Ms Ryan said.

She said staff would be provided with support.

“This has been a distressing time for our staff who have looked after these dogs. Some of the dogs were with us for quite a long time and staff got to know them,” she said.

“We are looking after these staff and giving them all the support we can.”

As the facility has closed, members of the public are asked to take any lost dog to their local vet or phone Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council staff on 6285 6269 so the animal’s microchip can be scanned. People can also post about lost pets on the Canberra Lost Pet Database Facebook page.

Further information on canine parvovirus can be found on the RSPCA NSW website.