Parvovirus outbreaks in shelters and rescue settings cause mass mortality and welfare crisis, requiring proactive vaccination protocols and biosecurity management.
Parvovirus outbreaks in shelters represent concentrated welfare catastrophes — multiple animals dying simultaneously from an extremely painful disease in an environment of already-elevated stress. Outbreak prevention through systematic vaccination at intake, appropriate biosecurity and environmental disinfection protocols is far preferable to managing outbreaks. Well-prepared shelters can prevent most outbreaks; those that occur despite preparation can be contained faster with pre-planned response protocols.