Caroline Schulte – Freeburg, MO

(b) Shelter from the elements. (4) ***There were at least three outdoor enclosures housing adult dogs (Pomeranians, Boston Terriers, Golden Retrievers and a Poodle) with shelters that did not contain adequate bedding. According to the National Weather Service, the air temperature for the area at the time of inspection (approximately 11:00am) was 40 degrees F. There was only a minimal amount of bedding material inside the shelters. Some of the shelters had most of the floor exposed while others had a thin layer of bedding that was fairly evenly distributed on the floor with parts of the floor easily seen. Housing dogs in enclosures without providing a sufficient source to keep them warm increases the risk of stress, hypothermia, illness and discomfort. Shelters in outdoor facilities for dogs must contain clean, dry, bedding material if the ambient temperature is below 50 [deg]F (10 [deg]C). Additional clean, dry bedding is required when the temperature is 35 [deg]F (1.7 [deg]C) or lower. To be corrected by: immediately on January 26, 2015 and from this point forward. Note: facility representatives provided bedding to these enclosures during the inspection.

An adult female Shih Tzu X Poodle (#4771791D4A) had a left eye that was covered with a large mat. The mat consisted mostly of hair and covered the majority of the eye with only the corner of the eye, near the nose, barely visible. There appeared to be an excessive amount of clear discharge in the corner of the eye continuing in the fur down the nose. According to a facility representative, the dog's eye condition had not been noticed prior to it being pointed out during the inspection. During the inspection, facility representatives removed the mat covering the eye. Once the mat was removed the dog would squint the left eye in the bright sunlight and would frequently blink once it was out of the sunlight. The eye appeared to have a pinkish haze throughout the inside of the eye. Some of the eye discharge also appeared to be green and mucous-like in the fur below the eye. This dog's eye condition could be due to an injury, infection or other veterinary medical condition which could cause discomfort and/or could lead to blindness.