Last month, First Call Environmental’s Chattanooga Tennessee’s Area Manager, Alan Reed, was made aware of situation with a local animal shelter that was dealing with a troubling issue. MARC – Marion Animal Resource Connection, had 1 case of parvo and recurring cases of kennel cough within the dogs housed at the facility. Multiple attempts to clean the facility room-by-room were conducted by staff, but they could not figure out how to efficiently disinfect every surface all at the same time. MARC is a no-kill shelter that is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization and Alan saw this a perfect opportunity to help out and assist a great organization.
One of the products First Call utilizes for Covid decontaminations is also regularly utilized in veterinary settings to cure kennel cough. Alan reached out to MARC and was able to schedule a day to visit and perform the decontamination. Upon arrival all cats and dogs were removed from the interior of the premises. Allen then donned level D PPE including 1500 suit, hardhat, face shield, safety glasses, steel-toed boots, boot covers, and surgical gloves. 12 rooms needed a thorough soaking, 2 rooms needed a light misting and wiping. Additionally, there was 1 large pen and 1 puppy pen that needed decontamination. They were both used by Hercules, a Great Dane puppy who was brought in with Parvo.
In total, the decontamination process covered:
- -approximately 50 dog/cat food/water bowls, inside and out
- -approximately 100 plastic dog toys inside a children’s swimming pool
- -approximately 10 trash cans, inside and out
- -approximately 150 leashes, collars, and harnesses
- -approximately 25 metal dog crates
- -cat’s area; upstairs porch, 2 cat crate rooms, 2 cat adoption rooms, cat quarantine room
- -kitchen, living room, laundry room, bathroom, entry room, hallway
- -3 upstairs bedrooms used to isolate sick dogs (including 1 medical room)
- -9 kennels in basement, including wood floor joists, cinderblock walls, floors, and iron grates
- -2 outside pens using fogger for metal gates/fencing
- -approximately 10 cat houses which were decontaminated utilizing a Hudson sprayer
The staff at MARC did a wonderful job assisting Alan accomplish the task, and there was a remarkable difference of smell throughout the facility instantly. Fans were used to help ventilate rooms that had open windows, and a Hudson sprayer was used to wash out the kennels after the decontamination solution had finished it’s drying process. The animals were then brought back inside for the night.
This was an extremely rewarding event for everyone involved and First Call Environmental wants to thank Alan for partnering with a great organization like the Marion Animal Resource Connection and helping out during a time of need.