MORE dogs have fallen victim to the Hunter's deadly parvovirus outbreak as the incredibly contagious disease hits Lake Macquarie council's kennel.
The facility has had two confirmed cases of parvovirus and a third suspected case, forcing the kennel to shut its doors to surrenders until it could establish separate accommodation on-site for emergency admissions.
The Newcastle Herald understands a dog died at the facility earlier this month but was never tested for the virus because according to the council, it didn't display symptoms.
A Lake Macquarie City Council spokesman said dogs usually display symptoms seven to 10 days after being infected with parvovirus.
"Unfortunately during this period other dogs may become infected," he said.
"The deceased animal was wrapped in a blanket and then in plastic, as per health and safety protocols, until its body could be disposed of.
"Staff who attended to the animal had no reason to believe it died from parvovirus as it did not present with the usual symptoms, and at the time there had been no reports of parvovirus spreading in the region."
The dog was disposed of before testing could be carried out. Subsequently, two other dogs in the facility started to show parvovirus symptoms.
Both of those dogs were euthanised due to the severity of their illness, after veterinary testing confirmed they had parvovirus.
The council spokesman said the first confirmed case was detected on October 13 when a dog became unwell with symptoms common to parvovirus.
"That dog returned a positive parvovirus test at a local vet clinic," he said.
"It is important to note that at this time, staff had not been made aware of a parvovirus outbreak at other facilities in the Hunter region.
"Once the diagnosis was made, we took immediate action to stop accepting animals into the facility."
He said the site has since been deep-cleaned with a veterinary disinfectant, drains within kennels have been cleaned and surfaces have been pressure-cleaned and disinfected.
"Staff are working extremely hard to ensure we can restore full services at the facility as soon as possible, and that all animals remain safe and healthy in our care," he said.
The council expects the facility to return to normal operations in the coming days.
It comes after Maitland's Animal Management Facility was forced to close this week due to a parvovirus outbreak.
The facility will remain closed to the public for at least two weeks while staff attempt to limit further spread.
It will not accept surrenders during this time and no visitors are allowed.
