May 24, 2022
One of Austin’s pet lifesaving treasures is at risk after ANOTHER flooding situation with sewage spilling into all three parvovirus treatment wards.
This is the same situation that the clinic staff faced this past Saturday when Austin Pets Alive! asked for adopters and fosters to pick up puppies who had already been treated – and tested negative – for parvovirus.
Because the Austin community responded and helped pick up 17 puppies on Saturday and 23 puppies on Sunday, there are currently 51 puppies being treated in the Parvo ICU.
No puppies are in danger of not being treated today but we are asked to take more sick puppies – multiple times throughout the day.
That said, the plumbing needs to be fixed quickly – and as you know, Austin Pets Alive! is a nonprofit, almost entirely funded through donations. Austin Pets Alive! does not receive any government funding AND the Parvo ICU has – so far this year – treated a whopping 563 puppies, which is 51% more parvo puppies than the same period of time in 2021.
Austin Pets Alive! will be working on a long-term solution, but for now, the cost of the repairs and replacement parts for the lifesaving Parvo Puppy ICU at Austin Pets Alive! is expected to reach $15,000. This covers the cost of laundry incineration, plumbing diagnosis, repairs, and clean-up.
APA! has one of the only parvo treatment units for shelter pets and is, by far, the largest in Texas. That means that any downtime translates into not being able to continue to accept the high volume of puppies who would certainly die without our Parvo Puppy ICU.
