Ringworm Outbreak Adds To Hi Tor's Troubles: UPDATE

UPDATE: Hi Tor Animal Care Center's president, Debbie DiBernardo, issued a statement at 6:54 p.m. Friday. Hi Tor's initial statement (see below) came out at 2:59 p.m.

Here is DiBernardo's statement:

“A ringworm outbreak was discovered shortly after we made a change in shelter management. A team of board-certified shelter veterinarians has confirmed this originated from a disregard of proper protocols in accepting and handling surrendered animals, which has also contributed to overcrowding. We are aggressively taking the steps necessary to care for the cat population and eradicate the infection. It is unfortunate that individuals without any way of knowing the facts have continued to spread falsehoods about what has actually occurred. We will continue to provide the facts as information becomes available.”

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — The Hi Tor Animal Care Center has yet another problem. An outbreak of ringworm has become so bad that the shelter will not accept new animals temporarily.

Debbie DiBernardo, President, Hi Tor Board of Directors, blamed the former staff — the manager who was fired in early November as he left to complain about the board to Rockland County officials, and two who walked out when the manager was fired.

But opponents of the board said they had warned about it weeks ago. They say ringworm is a constant problem for feral and shelter cats, handled by proper separation and cleaning routines which had been followed by the previous staff and volunteers. They say the board caused the problem when it took control after the firing and shifted cats, bedding and cages around in the shelter without taking the ringworm into account.

Hi Tor is the only animal care and control shelter in Rockland, taking in more than 2,500 animals each year. The County of Rockland has traditionally provided some funding to and made county facilities available to Hi Tor for animal control and care. Municipalities contribute for animal control. But the shelter has suffered for years from overcrowding and underfunding, in a facility basically unchanged since 1972.

Hi Tor issued this statement Friday afternoon:

Hi Tor Animal Shelter will temporarily suspend its animal surrender services effective immediately due to an outbreak of Microsporum canis (ringworm), a highly contagious fungal infection that has affected the shelter’s cat population. Microsporum canis, which can be transmitted by direct contact or contact with contaminated objects or surfaces, was discovered in the shelter earlier this month after the Board of Directors made a change in management.

Pet adoptions will continue, but only for those animals that have been examined and certified healthy by a veterinarian. The shelter is currently coordinating alternative surrender services and will provide that information as soon as arrangements are confirmed. The shelter will continue to care for the animals that are currently housed, but will not accept any new animals until this issue has been resolved.

While an inconvenience for the public, the board’s decision was based on taking the strongest steps necessary for the health and well-being of those animals that have been infected, as well as to eradicate the infection from the shelter. The goal is to restore health to the shelter population and ensure that infected animals are not placed in adoptive homes.

“We offer our deepest apologies to the community for this inconvenience,” said Debbie DiBernardo, President, Hi Tor Board of Directors. “We were shocked to discover what happened and are aggressively working to care for these animals and to take the steps necessary to ensure this never happens again.”

Volunteer veterinarians from the region who were helping out at the shelter on November 4 and 5, began detecting and treating cases of Microsporum canis. That was one day after the November 3 termination of the shelter’s manager, which was immediately followed by several employees abandoning their jobs and the animals. The veterinarians returned and diagnosed additional cases and on November 19 confirmed an outbreak. The outbreak’s cause is attributed to failure by former management and employees to abide by standard protocols specific to inspecting, handling and accepting infected animals; protocols that when properly followed prevent the spread of infection.

Because the shelter’s cat population has been compromised, emergency housing, examination, treatment and rehab accommodations are being established separate from the shelter itself.

A team of veterinarians and vet techs from the region has been voluntarily handling diagnosis and treatment within the shelter population. There are currently more than 200 cats in the shelter and an estimated 200 more in foster care. A massive clean-up of the shelter premises has already been completed and many of the animals have been diagnosed and are receiving treatment.

The board has been working to stabilize the shelter’s operations for quite some time and has restored its financial stability and has hired a new manager. The shelter continues to receive support from veterinarians from throughout the region, Rockland County, the surrounding towns the shelter serves as well as from animal foster families and rescue groups.

Hi Tor will continue to post updates on its website and Facebook pages as new information becomes available.

Shortly afterward folks who began opposing the board after the firing posted this on Facebook:

SEE ALSO:

• Rockland Lawmakers To Consider Crisis At Hi Tor Tuesday

• Town Officials Check Hi Tor Animal Shelter

PHOTO/ Kim Tran

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