CONNOQUENESSING TWP — The Butler County Humane Society has pushed its April 5 reopening back to April 10 after more dogs struggle with parvovirus.

The organization announced that the initially affected dog, Charlie, was returned to the shelter and has been improving with the help of treatment, but it also announced the shelter’s prolonging of its closure to treat an undetermined number of dogs.

Jennifer DiCuccio, executive director for the humane society, said the staff and volunteers at the shelter have been working long hours to reopen while also caring for the infected animals.

“The calls still come in,” DiCuccio said. “The need is great for sure. It’s important for us to get back to the point where we can start taking in these animals for our community.”

The virus typically has an incubation period of three to five days and symptoms do not appear for several days, according to DiCuccio.

“You have a window there of exposure,” DiCuccio said. “We don’t know where they come from or what vaccines they have.”

For treatment, no specific drug can kill the virus, and treatments focus on supporting the dog’s body systems while the dog’s immune system fights off the infection, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

DiCuccio said parvo is everywhere and can live dormant in soil for three to six months, depending on the year. She said the virus is strong, hearty and lethal.

She said on top of isolating the infected dogs, the volunteers have taken other precautions while they disinfect the building, including foot baths in bleach solutions when entering and exiting certain areas.

“We are confident the disinfection and prevention measures, along with proper isolation, have contained and killed the virus and we continue to stay vigilant and on top of it,” DiCuccio said.

DiCuccio said the humane society has received a lot of support since news first broke of Charlie’s bout with parvo. She said the shelter has received toys, leashes and plenty of rescue products.

“So far we’ve received over $1,600 of rescue products, and we’ve probably gotten over 250 towels from our community,” DiCuccio said.

One thing they could also use are litter box pans which they have used to hold footbath solutions, according to DiCuccio.

She said money is always helpful too.

“There are medical bills,” DiCuccio said. “This will not be cheap.

Eagle staff writers Tanner Cole and Nathan Bottiger contributed to this report.