Shenango Valley Animal Shelter under quarantine due to parvo outbreak
While staff and volunteers are navigating the rough situation and trying to prevent the contagious and deadly diseases from spreading to more animals, they can't take any new dogs in until they're in the clear from the virus.
What is parvovirus?
A pair of abandoned puppies were brought into the Shenango Valley Animal Shelter in Hermitage at the end of May.
Then the staff and volunteers' worst nightmare came true. One of the pups, whom they named Pip, had parvo.
"Both of them looked as fine as could be. Healthy, eating, drinking and playful. And then just over the next couple days, just, it hit. It was, like, lethargic, not eating, not drinking," said Devin Keeley, manager of the Shenango Valley Animal Shelter.
Keeley said two other dogs then eventually contracted the virus. Sadly, one named Vador, who already had an adoptable family waiting to take him home, died.
She said two other canines were exposed but aren't showing any symptoms.
"Just really upset because we don't know how far this is gonna go. How many do we have to lose due to people just dumping dogs and not taking care of them? It was really hard to come and see your employees crying and upset, and just due to people's neglect of animals. It's really devastating," Keeley said.
The shelter remains under quarantine and still can't take any dogs in. The shelter is looking forward to having more space in its new location, which is in the works and could be built by next summer.
"Our shelter's so outdated, and we need a new one. It's quarantine, but it's not 100%. Because our cement blocks in there are starting to get eaten away, stuff gets passed through the bottom, no matter what we do," said Keeley.
Keeley said people are still dumping dogs. The staff and volunteers are doing their best, and they will likely be under quarantine for a couple more weeks.
"But the community really came together. We got a lot of wonderful donations towards vet bills and a lot of bleach and rescue and KennelSol," she said.
All the dogs with parvo are doing well. But they're not out of the woods yet because the virus is so unpredictable.
"They all look wonderful, barking, happy, wagging their tail. They just want nothing but attention. They're scarfing down their food, acting like nothing ever happened," Keeley said.
If you'd like to help the Shenango Valley Animal Shelter, you can donate. It needs cleaning supplies, including gloves, gowns, rescue/KennelSol cleaner, bleach and shoe covers. You can also make a monetary donation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Wistar Institute Receives $17 Million NIH Grant for Personalized HIV Cure Research
Philadelphia-led consortium is selected to tailor HIV curative strategies to participant Philadelphia, PA, Aug. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Wistar Institute announces the National Institutes of Health (NIH) granted a five-year, $17 million research award to launch iCure Consortium to develop individualized 'cure regimens' for HIV. The Wistar-led, iCure Consortium's objective is to advance strategies to cure HIV through tailored personalized medicine. 'Today 38 million people still live with HIV worldwide, and 1.3 million contract the virus each year,' said Luis J. Montaner, D.V.M., iCure principal investigator, executive vice president of The Wistar Institute and director of Wistar's HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center. 'For the first time, this grant brings our best team together working towards a cure tailored to each participant by pairing the latest in neutralizing antibody and cell-therapy breakthroughs against the unique, person-specific features of HIV.' iCure Consortium will test a six-part, individually-tailored therapy designed to wipe out the persistent viral reservoir that remains after antiretroviral therapy in an effort to deliver durable, drug-free remission. The project combines six advanced tactics—neutralizing antibodies, mRNA therapy, viral binders, engineered CAR-T and 'Natural Killer' (NK) cells, and precision latency 'wake-up' drugs—all designed against each patient's unique virus. 'Ending HIV demands more than management—it demands eradication,' said Drew Weissman, M.D., Ph.D., iCure co‑principal investigator, 2023 Nobel Laureate and Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. 'This project now allows us to apply our breakthroughs in RNA therapy as part of a cure-directed strategy.' How iCure Works• Wake the latent virus• Map and target unique weak spots with tailored antibodies• Destroy infected cells using 'super‑charged' CAR‑T and NK cells• Enhance clearance and block relapse with bispecific binders In the first step, researchers reactivate the virus in a sample of the participant's blood and identify mutations that the participant has not yet developed antibodies against. They then develop a tailored antibody therapy cocktail specifically designed against these specific mutations. In the next stage, researchers focus on preventing HIV from returning. To do this, they develop person-specific antibodies or small molecule binders that can act as 'homing devices' — beacons that can lead immune cells to the latent virus. Then they genetically modify CAR-T cells and NK cells (immune cells that destroy viruses) to express or use these homing devices to better clear infected cells. Finally, researchers further enhance NK cells. First, they develop stronger and more durable cells, called adaptive NK cells, by supercharging their virus-killing ability. Then, they deploy small-molecule drugs called bispecifics, which bind NK cells to the infected cells they are targeting. "iCure takes full advantage of the advances made in understanding how and where HIV hides from the immune system," said Montaner. "We've built on our knowledge and can use that information to identify a first of its kind targeting to a person's unique HIV features." iCure furthers the research groundwork laid by the BEAT-HIV Martin Delaney Collaboratory ( a Philadelphia-based consortium of more than 95 leading HIV researchers co-led by Dr. Montaner. Montaner called the NIH grant a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' that reflects Wistar's track record as a scientific leader in the effort to develop an HIV cure, as well as its grassroots support and collaboration with the HIV community. 'By the end of this study we hope to have a process by which to identify the virus that we need to go after in each person and have a basis to design clinical trials choosing the best of these strategies to move forward,' said Montaner. Other institutions participating in this study include Johns Hopkins Medicine and iCure co-principal investigator Robert Siliciano, M.D., Ph.D., the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia FIGHT, the Ragon Institute at Harvard University, George Washington University, Duke University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The iCure program is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of NIH, under award number UM1AI191272. ### The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the United States, Wistar has held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute since 1972. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. CONTACT: Darien Sutton The Wistar Institute 215-870-2048 dsutton@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
10 hours ago
- CBS News
New-Kensington Arnold School District installing vape detectors
The New Kensington-Arnold School District is installing vape detectors in its junior and senior high schools. Though no smoking signs can be found in schools everywhere, catching students who vape can be challenging. Vape detectors, which look like smoke detectors, are already installed in several schools, including Burrell, Highlands, Plum, Riverview and Franklin Regional. In a statement, Highlands School District told KDKA-TV it's working, saying, "By implementing this proactive measure, we aim to discourage harmful behaviors and ensure that our schools remain focused on student well-being and academic success." Some disagree. "I think they're stupid, and I think they're unneeded. I think the money could have been spent on way more better things, different improvements," said Valley High School senior Abby Gorencice. The school board decided to install the detectors this school year. Gorencice said she isn't keen on the idea, and several teachers and counselors at Valley who didn't want to go on camera said there are a variety of reasons why these detectors aren't welcome. "I think it was a worthless spend. I think we need A/C. I was just in there, it's hot, I was already sweating when I walked in there. I think we need A/C. I think there's other things that are more important," she said. The superintendent says they will be installed, echoing other districts already using them, saying it's for the well-being of students. To get started, the cost is going to be about $12,800, with a yearly maintenance fee of only about $1,700.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
IUP's proposed medical school earns key 'candidate status' from accreditors
INDIANA, Pa. – Indiana University of Pennsylvania's proposed college of osteopathic medicine has achieved a 'critical milestone' in being elevated to candidate status by the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. This is the second step in the accreditation process. Pre-accreditation status is the next step that can be applied for in the next two years, and that allows IUP to begin recruiting students to the future medical school. 'It's been incredibly hard work to get to this important stage, but also incredibly rewarding,' the proposed college's founding dean, Dr. Miko Rose, said in a statement. 'The IUP and Indiana-area community, our legislators, our alumni and friends, local businesses and schools, and our regional and state health care partners and leaders have been unwavering in their support, encouragement and confidence in IUP.' Rose added that she couldn't be more proud of the work already completed and she's excited for the future. 'This designation is a critical milestone in our work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine at IUP,' university President Michael Driscoll said in a release. He said the faculty and staff of the university have worked at 'light speed' since the IUP Council of Trustees endorsed pursuit of the proposed medical college in December 2022. 'This achievement reflects thousands of hours of hard work, preparation and support from so many people, including our legislators, (state) Sen. Joe Pittman, (state) Rep. Jim Struzzi and (U.S.) Congressman Guy Reschenthaler,' Driscoll said. 'I thank them, our donors, the proposed college of osteopathic medicine team and its advisory groups, and everyone at IUP and in our community who has been part of advancing this project.' Once up and running, the proposed college of medicine will be housed in a new health sciences center at the Indiana campus. The university's long-range facilities master plan recommends use of Johnson Hall, Uhler Hall and Stright Hall as the site of that grouping. All three buildings are scheduled for renovations. Once accredited, the proposed college of osteopathic medicine is set to receive its first class of students in the fall of 2027. Solve the daily Crossword
