Newly Released Email Details What Dr. Juby Wrote the Night of the Puppy Euthanasias

Veterinarian’s Email Raised Concerns Beyond Puppy Euthanasias, Including Earlier Dog Case

A three-page email contained in Saline County court records provides a detailed account of concerns raised by Salina Animal Services veterinarian Dr. Melissa Juby immediately after three parvovirus-positive puppies were euthanized at the shelter on Dec. 16, 2025.

The email also shows Juby raised concerns about an earlier case involving a dog named Chico, which she cited while describing what she believed were broader problems with communication and accountability inside Animal Services.

Juby sent the email to then-Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Hammond at 8:03 p.m. Dec. 16 under the subject line “Urgent Concerns Regarding Salina Animal Services.”

Salina311 previously interviewed Juby about the puppy incident. She said she learned about the euthanasias shortly after they occurred and directed that shelter employees stop performing euthanasias while the matter was addressed.

The email, written the same evening, provides substantially more detail about what Juby said employees reported to her.

According to Juby, an anonymous employee told her that Monique Hawley and Andrea Murphy had euthanized three parvovirus-positive puppies using non-sedated intracardiac injections after the animals developed bloody diarrhea and tested positive for parvo.

Juby wrote that intravenous or intraperitoneal injections are the standard methods for euthanasia in dogs and said intracardiac injections should not be performed on an awake or sedated animal.

She said intracardiac injection should only be used after an animal has no corneal response or anal tone following an intravenous or intraperitoneal injection.

Juby wrote that employees told her the puppies were “screaming and flailing” during the injections. Juby did not personally witness the euthanasias; the description in her email was based on what employees reported to her.

She also objected to the reported location of the procedures, writing that euthanasia should occur in a private or isolated environment rather than at the front desk of the shelter.

Juby acknowledged that moving puppies infected with parvovirus presented a risk of spreading the disease but wrote that appropriate protective equipment should have been available to safely move the animals.

Juby also raised earlier Chico case

The email shows Juby's concerns extended beyond what happened to the puppies that day.

Juby described an earlier case involving a dog named Chico that she said developed significant weight loss and vomiting approximately two weeks after surgery.

According to Juby, concerns about the dog's condition were repeatedly brought to Hawley's attention before Juby examined Chico during one of her weekly visits to Salina.

Juby wrote that she found a mass and recommended radiographs. She said the images were consistent with either a foreign body or intussusception, conditions that could require exploratory surgery.

Because of financial considerations, Juby wrote, Hawley elected euthanasia if surgery could not be pursued — a decision Juby said she agreed with under those circumstances.

Juby then performed a necropsy.

According to her email, she found approximately two feet of digested towel material, described as kennel padding, along with necrotic intestines.

Juby wrote that if the condition had been addressed earlier, when concerns were initially presented, exploratory surgery or removal of the foreign material likely would have been recommended or considered earlier rather than leaving the dog to suffer for several days.

The Chico account represents Juby's description and professional assessment in the Dec. 16 email.

Concerns about employees speaking up

Juby connected both incidents to what she described as a larger workplace problem.

She wrote that she had observed “a palpable tension building amongst staff members” and offered her opinion that there was an abuse of power involving Hawley and Murphy. She also described what she believed was a lack of accountability and inappropriate employee write-ups.

Those statements represent Juby's assessment at the time and are not presented as independently established findings.

Juby said veterinary medicine uses the concept of a “Critical Stop,” allowing someone to stop a procedure if they are uncomfortable with how it is being performed.

She wrote that Animal Services employees should similarly be able to speak up without fear of repercussions.

Juby said that if even one employee who witnessed the puppy euthanasias had felt comfortable intervening, she believed the suffering she was told occurred could have been avoided.

She also recommended cameras in the euthanasia room and areas containing controlled substances for training, compliance and liability purposes.

Email documents concerns the same day

The Dec. 16 email is significant because it documents Juby's concerns on the same day the puppy euthanasias occurred.

It also expands upon what Juby later told Salina311 directly about the euthanasia procedures and her response after learning about them.

“At the end of the day, it is my veterinary license that allows Salina to perform medical care for the thousands of animals that the shelter processes a year,” Juby wrote.

The Dec. 16 puppy incident later became the subject of a criminal investigation. Hawley and Murphy have each been charged with three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

The charges remain pending and have not been proven at trial.

Salina311 Interview: Dr. Melissa Juby, DVM Addresses Salina Animal Shelter Puppy Euthanasia Incident Salina311 spoke Friday with Dr. Melissa Juby, DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), as public concerns continue following an incident involving the euthanasia of three puppies that entered the Salina Animal Shelter with parvovirus (parvo). Since the incident, residents have raised …

Salina Animal Shelter Study Session: City says Puppy Euthanasia Incident Would be Handled Differently Now Salina city officials on Monday publicly discussed a Dec. 16, 2025 incident involving three stray puppies that tested positive for parvovirus at the Salina Animal Shelter, saying staff acted quickly out of concern for disease spread but acknowledging the euthanasia …