Matthew Santoni, The Examiner
2007-08-01 07:00:00.0
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Harford County -

Overcrowding and insufficient testing for disease at the Harford County Humane Society shelter are increasing the number of sick animals being adopted without treatment or diagnosis, several county veterinarians said.

Dr. Keith Gold, a vet at Chadwell Animal Hospital in Abingdon, said he has treated at least a dozen cats from the shelter in the last two months for diseases such as feline distemper, bordatella, respiratory conditions and feline AIDS. He said autopsies have linked two cats’ deaths to distemper, which can be highly contagious and deadly if introduced into a large population without vaccinations.

“These illnesses aren’t being controlled properly and the animals aren’t getting appropriate veterinary aid,” Gold said. “That’s only an opinion, but it’s a pretty rampant opinion.”

Dr. Esra Yavuz, a vet at the Animal Medical Center in Bel Air, said she treated cats from the shelter for distemper, as has Dr. Greg Svoboda of Rock Spring Veterinary Clinic.

Svoboda attributed a recent increase in disease at the shelter to crowding that exposes healthy animals to sick ones, an older facility that is difficult to disinfect and high staff turnover that makes it hard to train volunteers on disease control.

A veterinarian who asked to remain anonymous because she feared losing business from the Humane Society said the shelter might have to euthanize its entire cat population if changes are not made to prevent an outbreak.

Abingdon resident Maggie Hall said she adopted a cat from the shelter with an upper-respiratory infection so bad that Gold had to remove one of its eyes. Treatment cost her almost $700.

“We knew what we were getting ourselves into, but we didn’t know how bad his shape would be,” Hall said.

Kim Intino, shelter director for the Humane Society of the United States, said she is scheduling a tour to review conditions at the shelter and make recommendations for improving them.

Michael Allen, president of the shelter’s board of directors, did not believe there were serious problems but said the aging shelter and unpredictable number of animals were factors. The board is seeking funding for a new shelter, he said, which would ideally include more measures for disease control.

“Had we the money, we’d be on that in a heartbeat,” Allen said.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com