Volunteer Information
Welcome to the Parvo ICU!
We have many opportunities for volunteers to help with our life-saving operations. All of our volunteers must go through the standard APA! volunteer onboarding process. Then, volunteers begin in the Parvo ICU by learning the essential tasks in the ICU and can be trained to support other activities. Complete the Intro to Parvo and Expectations on your volunteer account to gain permission to sign up for shifts in the ICU. Opportunities include:
Team Snuggle: Spend time with our puppies and take photos for marketing while following disease protocol.
Parvo Essentials: Learn how to do laundry, adhere to safety procedures, and basic care for our puppies.
Care Team: Keep our ICU running and clean! Feed and comfort our patients, keep kennels clean, keep up with laundry and dishes, and participate in bathing puppies on their discharge from the ICU. Find the Care Team Volunteer Expectations here.
Medical Team: Learn how to administer medications in many ways to treat symptoms of Parvo while participating in Care Team activities. Find the Medical Team Volunteer Expectations here.
Joining the Parvo Team
In order to join the group, you must be an APA! volunteer, be at least 18 years old, and undergo specific Parvo Team training. You will become an official volunteer on the care team once you have read the manual and shadowed/trained for two shifts. The Parvo ICU is an isolated ICU dedicated only to parvo puppies. Parvo is highly contagious, so we have many specific protocols to prevent the spread of parvo and other diseases outside the ICU. The main protocol includes changing into scrubs & shoes which must stay in the ICU. You are welcome to bring your own pair, but they must stay in the ICU.
Volunteers, especially on the medical team, are encouraged to know the contents of the Medical Trainee Curriculum. Volunteers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the full contents of this wiki. Additional wiki resources can be found on the Volunteer Resources page.
Scrubbing In
All volunteers entering the Parvo ICU will be required to scrub in and out. This includes changing into scrubs and non-street shoes and leaving all unnecessary items outside of the ICU. Parvo is an incredibly "sticky" disease and can contaminate clothing and other items. We do not want parvo to spread outside of the ICU.
As long as you adhere to the Parvo ICU decontamination guidelines and appropriately scrub in and out, you will not need to worry about infecting your pets at home. However, we recommend all dogs at home be fully vaccinated against parvo if you choose to volunteer in the ICU.