Outbreak puts financial strain on Humane Society; volunteers keep faith

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — It has been a hard spring for volunteers at the Houlton Humane Society as a case of ringworm continues to wreak havoc on the shelter.
    The shelter has been closed since the outbreak was first detected back in February. Since then, the volunteers at the shelter have been diligently working to clean every inch of the building, including taking down light fixtures and even cleaning light bulbs.
Contributed photo
SHELTER HELPERS — On Tuesday, May 25, volunteers from Key Bank came to the Houlton Humane Society to help paint the sign on the front lawn. Volunteering for the project were Rob Faulkner, Shelly Martin and Rhonda Barton.
    Fortunately, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. The shelter held its first pet adoption May 29, marking the first time since ringworm was discovered more than 12 weeks ago that an animal has been able to be given a new home. The animals eligible for adoption were in foster care and not housed at the shelter.
    “Our building continues to be under quarantine,” said Cathy Davis, spokesperson for the Houlton Humane Society. “Everything has tested negative [for ringworm spores] except our ventilation system, which has been a challenge.”
    The shelter has brought in an outside company to assist with the disinfecting process, but thus far the air filtration system continues to produce positive ringworm spore test results. One of the reasons for the difficulty is that it is not possible to get inside the ventilation system to spray it down, Davis said. The ductwork for the ventilation system is a flexible tube, not the metal air ducts found in most private homes.
    The group received some good news this past week when their veterinarian found an anti-fungal agent that will be effective when applied to the air exchange system.
    “This should arrive Friday and be applied hopefully early next week, then smoke bombs are set off,” Davis explained. “Once these sit for 12 to 24 hours then we can take cultures and send them away to make sure that this has killed the spores and hopefully be opened back up in two to four weeks. We are praying a lot.”
    In order to re-open, the shelter must pass two sets of cultures, which are tested by the University of Maine, but thus far has not reached that goal.
    Public support for the shelter has been mixed, Davis said.
    “We have had very good support from the towns and the animal control officers,” she said. “We are still taking in strays, but we try to get them straight into foster homes. We’ve had cards and letters of support from all over the area. But there has been a lot of negativity directed at the shelter and its staff because we have lost animals. There are people out there who feel we have not done enough to save all of the animals.”
    Davis said individuals have approached some staff members while out shopping at grocery stores and accused them of not doing enough to save the animals.
    “Their hearts are broken,” she said. “Some of our staff do not want to go out because they are afraid somebody will see them and think they are a terrible person.”
    At the time the outbreak was first discovered, the shelter was housing 105 cats. Originally, 30 of those cats were spared, Davis said, and all of the healthy animals were relocated to a separate building, adjacent to the shelter. However, since that initial outbreak, additional animals have been put down.
    While treatment for ringworm is relatively simple for humans, it is not so easy for animals, Davis said. Any cats or dogs that may have been exposed have undergone sulfur dips twice a week, which has created a whole new set of problems for the shelter.
    “We’ve had a number of animals that have gotten extremely ill from the sulfur dips,” she said. “Basically, what happens is they get dipped and then they lick it. That makes their mouths sore and they can’t eat. Some of the cats have gotten very, very sick.”
    The shelter has been using the service of Dr. Bob Arnott, a veterinarian in the St. John Valley.
    “There is nobody out there that cares more than he does,” Davis said. “If he has to put an animal down, it’s based on his recommendation, but he still has tears in his eyes.”
    Davis said the shelter is in dire need of additional support, both financially and with individuals to serve as foster parents. To date, the shelter has incurred more than $20,000 in veterinary bills and other costs associated with the testing. To become a foster parent, contact Heather Miller at 532-2862 or Davis at 532-2345.
    The shelter was required to burn all the doghouses, which was done last Friday night. “We are seeking donations of new dog houses, new and sturdy houses that can be easily cleaned and bleached. Insulated is preferred,” Davis said.
    The shelter now has 30 cats in foster care, but Monday evening 14 more cats came in and five dogs.
    “We now have eight dogs,” Davis said. “Although the shelter building is in quarantine, these animals have not been in the building and I believe we can adopt them out, but I have to double check on that. We have a female rottie, beautiful dog, but is a cat eater, we have a gorgeous female hound, a pit bull puppy about 6 months old, (female), two female husky mixes, a male poodle and a pit/rottie mix. Anybody interested in fostering or adopting should call the shelter at 532-2862 and speak with Heather or Courtney.”
    “We have several fund raisers coming up, maybe mentioning those would help,” Davis said. “We have a yard sale and adopt-a-thon at Northern Musical Supply on June 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. People can bring their donations the night before from 5 to 7 p.m., but no clothing or electronics please. We have several adopt-a-thons planned in the weekends to come. And the yard sale will be set up to run monthly all summer so keep collecting yard sale items for us.”
    The shelter is a still collecting used ink cartridges for a recycling program. Returnable bottles may also be left at the Florence Avenue redemption center.
    “The most exciting news is the formation of a new entity, “Friends of Houlton Humane,” Davis said. “This is a group of animal lovers who will assist with various needs and fund raising. Anyone interested may call Linda Sewell at 463-2258 or 944-8864 or email her at Linda04411@hotmail.com