MASON, Mich. - Ingham County animal control officials are pledging changes after a Humane Society investigation found some dogs at the county shelter received inadequate medical care.
The Ingham County Animal Control and Shelter was tasked with lodging nearly 50 pit bulls seized last year as part of a large-scale investigation into dogfighting.
The shelter struggled to care for the dogs "due to their backgrounds and athletic nature," shelter Director John Dinon said Wednesday.
He said the dogs also had to be held longer than most animals because they had been seized as evidence in several criminal cases, some of which are still working their way through the legal system.
After a veterinarian expressed concern about medical care some of the dogs were receiving, the shelter earlier this year asked the Michigan Humane Society to investigate, Dinon said.
The resulting report alleges problems with five dogs.
One dog suffered unnecessarily before it was euthanized for an intestinal blockage because officials for eight days ignored a veterinarian's recommendation to perform an x-ray, according to the report.
Dinon said workers had hoped the dog would pass the blockage — it had swallowed a toy — and that surgery was not an option anyway due to the dog's "fractious nature."
Another dog died from internal bleeding nearly three months after arriving at the shelter. Officials ordered a necropsy at Michigan State University, but were unable to determine what caused the bleeding, Dinon said.
Three other dogs suffered from whipworm infections and were emaciated due to related diarrhea. The shelter should have more carefully monitored the animals' weight and improved maintenance to prevent whipworm reinfections, the report stated.
Two of those dogs made full recoveries and have been rehomed, Dinon said, while the third also recovered and has been transferred to a rescue organization to be rehomed.
The Humane Society report listed numerous factors that "contributed to the suffering and neglect" of the five dogs.
Among the findings:
- There were no written procedures to monitor long-term court cases, document weight changes or control internal parasites in long-term holding areas
- Medical records for specific animals were incomplete or kept in multiple locations
- An inconsistent diet of donated food caused digestive problems
- Dinon displayed a lack of awareness and response to address issues with the dogs in a timely manner
- There was no system requiring animal control officers to monitor the status of animals being held for their criminal cases
Dinon said he anticipated some of the report's findings, but admitted he hadn't thought about having animal control officers keep tabs on the dogs related to their cases.
Dinon said it was "a little embarrassing to admit" he hadn't thought of doing that sooner, but he pledged to implement that and other changes.
Storage of medical records will be improved, he said, and animals will be weighed more regularly.
Dinon and other officials will complete a weekly walkthrough to discuss ongoing medical care with staff, the director said. And formal procedures and training will be implemented to improve other aspects of animal care.
Breaking ground
Another change coming to the shelter is a new facility.
Workers broke ground last week on construction of a new animal shelter, which is partially funded by a millage increase approved in 2016 by Ingham County voters.
The shelter will be 16,000 square feet, about 1 ½ times larger than the current facility.
Voters are paying about $7.1 million for the facility, with another $300,000 coming from private donations, Dinon said.
Officials say it will include indoor-outdoor kennels for some dogs, dedicated meet and greet areas for adopters, improved veterinary facilities and other improvements.
Construction of the new facility, which will be located near the current shelter in Mason, is expected to last about a year.
Contact Christopher Haxel at 517-377-1261 or chaxel@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHaxel.
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