To the editor:

I recently decided to adopt a puppy from the Sikeston Humane Society. We felt it important to give a needy dog a good home. Our puppy, Scooter, died of parvovirus seven days after we adopted him.

Parvovirus is a serious disease that kills between 20 percent and 50 percent of the puppies it infects. According to a veterinarian's Web site, it is futile to attempt to shield puppies from the virus, as it exists almost everywhere. The Web site makes it clear that if a puppy gets the virus, a family can expect substantial expense. The only hope for the animal is a preventative vaccine.

The humane society inoculates animals at adoption time. They are not tested upon entering the facility. I am not asking the humane society to guarantee the animals. What I ask, however, is that animals be tested for parvovirus before being allowed into the general animal population at the facility. Upon adoption, it is imperative that puppies test negative for the virus. In addition, adoptive families should be informed of the virus' mortality rate and the expense of attempting to cure an infected dog.

LAUREN BURKEE

Scott City