Tracy Press

When Dwayne DeHoyos took Captain Jack home last week from the Tracy Animal Shelter, he figured he had adopted a healthy young dog.

But within two days, Captain Jack was vomiting and had diarrhea. When DeHoyos took him to a veterinary clinic, he learned that the 4-month-old boxer mix had parvovirus, an intestinal ailment that is often fatal to dogs.

"Now, I’m putting up close to $1,000 just to keep him alive," DeHoyos said.

Captain Jack is now on the mend, he said, and is a part of the family.

How the dog came down with the illness is unclear. DeHoyos suspects that the highly contagious virus lurks at the shelter. But Ben Miller, shelter supervisor, said his staff cleans and disinfects the dog runs every day, and he has not seen signs of the illness in any of the 14 other dogs at the shelter.

Miller added that a dog might have the virus but not show symptoms right away. Captain Jack was in the shelter for only four days, he said, after he was found as a stray at Meadow Lark Lane and Sequoia Boulevard. The pup was adopted Sept. 12.

"We looked at the other dogs and don’t believe any of the others have it," he said. "The dog had zero signs of illness when he was with us."

Dr. Kecia Valdez of Jules Veterinary Center on West 11th Street is treating Captain Jack and expects he will make a full recovery. She said an animal shelter, even if it is washed and disinfected every day, provides the opportunity for diseases to spread simply because so many animals go through it every day.

"I’m sure a lot of those dogs have never been vaccinated and are bringing in viruses from the street, and I’m sure parvovirus is one of them," she said. "Dogs being at the shelter, it’s such a stressful time for them, their immune systems are stressed, so they’re more likely to pick up viruses."

Dog owners generally vaccinate puppies against the virus. Valdez said non-vaccinated dogs can be exposed to the virus and still not catch it, and if they do catch it, the symptoms could take three to 10 days to show up.

"Right now, the early fall, is a really heavy time for parvo," she said.

Miller said there is a test that will reveal parvovirus before dogs get sick, but $15 test is not within the shelter’s budget.

"It’s not something where we can test every single animal that comes in," he said.

DeHoyos said he got the same explanation when he asked how the city animal shelter could adopt out a pet with a deadly disease, but he contrasts his hefty veterinarian bills with the cost of the tests.

"The thing is, these animals should be checked," he said. "Their excuse is no money. If there was another $10, $20, $30 in fees for the test, I’d pay it, as long as I know the dog is healthy."