Orange County Animal Shelter Passes State Inspection

N.C. State Veterinarian Earl Sheppard said the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services ordered him to perform a standard inspection at the shelter when the department received the complaint.

The operation of the shelter is overseen by the Animal Protection Society of Orange County.

Sheppard said the inspection was unannounced, like most are, so directors of shelters should be aware of the possibility for an unexpected inspection at any time.

Without knowing the nature of the complaint, Sheppard checked the standards of the shelter with a pass/fail rating. Sheppard said that the shelter passed the inspection in each area he checked and that there was no evidence of disease as the complaint had reported.

"We found everything up to par," he said. "We have 20-some areas to look at according to the Animal Welfare Law."

Sheppard said he follows the law by making sure shelters are sanitary and employ licensed veterinarians. He also checks for food in containers and sufficient water for all the animals.

He said the shelter had an ample amount of supplies for the animals and excelled in all areas.

APS Executive Director Laura Walters said she wasn't surprised at the unannounced inspection.

"We are ready for anything," she said. "There is nothing they will find."

Walters said the complaint, which claimed the animals were frequently sick and dying in the shelter, was a false charge against the APS.

Walters said the allegation referred to a common feline disease called panleukopenia -- a highly infectious disease common in cats and especially kittens that have not been vaccinated -- that cropped up in the shelter.

Walters said the APS had already acknowledged the disease and taken precautions against it before the complaint was made.

She said the APS talked to vets specializing in panleukopenia and sent bodies of the kittens that had been infected to be tested. "We went on high alert."

Walters said the APS is not the only shelter with these problems, as most veterinary hospitals and animal shelters encounter the disease.

Walters said the fatal disease is contracted from new animals brought into the shelters. She said one way the APS tried to prevent the spread was by separating old animals from new so the old animals would not be exposed to the virus.

"We can't control what comes in and out of here," Walters said. "We basically deal with it the best we can."

Staff Writer Meredith Jones contributed to this article.
The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.