How APA!’s Training and Education Center is Fighting Preventable Diseases and Saving Lives
Every year, thousands of puppies and kittens arrive at animal shelters across the country, full of potential and in need of care. But for many of them, the threat of deadly—yet preventable—diseases like parvovirus and panleukopenia is dangerously close.
At Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), we’re on a mission to change that.
Through our Training and Education Center, we’re providing essential knowledge and hands-on resources to shelter staff and volunteers across the nation. One of our most impactful courses, “101: Shelter Cleaning Essentials,” teaches the critical protocols needed to stop these diseases in their tracks—before they claim more lives.
Every summer, animal shelters across the South see a heartbreaking surge in illnesses, especially among the most vulnerable: puppies and kittens. Parvovirus and panleukopenia are two of the most common culprits. Left untreated, they’re often fatal. But here’s the good news: they’re almost entirely preventable.
At APA! alone, we’ll treat hundreds of young animals this year for these diseases. Each one of those cases represents a life we fight to save one IV pump, one heating pad, one bleach-soaked mop at a time.
It’s a question we ask ourselves every day. And the answer has two sides.
First, community vaccination rates are often too low. Puppies and kittens should begin receiving vaccines for parvo and panleukopenia as early as six weeks old, with boosters every 3–4 weeks until they're about 20 weeks old. These vaccines are safe, affordable, and incredibly effective. Yet many animals entering the shelter system have never been vaccinated at all.
Second, once an unvaccinated animal arrives at a shelter, it becomes a race against time. Parvovirus is stubbornly resilient—it can survive on surfaces, clothing, and even floors for months. Without strict, science-based cleaning protocols, the virus can spread rapidly, endangering every animal in the shelter.
That’s where our APA! Training and Education Center makes a life-saving difference.
Our program equips shelter staff and volunteers with the tools they need to protect the animals in their care. From disinfection techniques to workflow planning, our training ensures shelters are not only clean, but safely and effectively cleaned and disinfected to remove harmful pathogens like parvo virus.
Our training center uses a range of engaging materials, including:
Easy-to-follow instructional videos
Interactive presentations and infographics
Step-by-step cleaning checklists
Printable reminder posters for shelter walls
These resources empower staff to follow proven protocols that stop disease from spreading—keeping puppies and kittens healthy, adoptable, and alive.
