If you were looking to adopt a dog from the Watauga Humane Society, you will have to wait a couple of weeks. The Watauga County Humane Society has suspended pet adoptions for two weeks after a confirmed case of Canine Distemper. According to shelter manager Lynn Northup, the shelter took in a stray female dog that had distemper. Distemper is a multisystem, often fatal, virus. The early symptoms of distemper include fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting and mild eye inflammation. Cases are rare and vaccines prevent the virus. Standard vaccines for dogs include a vaccine for distemper and all the dogs at the humane society are vaccinated as soon as they enter the shelter. However, unvaccinated animals can get distemper from wild animals, and the shelter has shut down adoptions as a precaution. Luckily, none of the pets at the shelter have shown any symptoms of the virus. Northup said protocol for dealing with an animal with distemper is usually to close down the dog kennels for three weeks, but since the dog was treated for a week, they can cut that time to two weeks. The stray dog was put down after it didn't respond to treatments for nearly a week. Northup says the Watauga County Humane Society will remain open, but they will not be taking in or adopting any dogs at this time. Canine adoption will resume on June 24 and cat adoption is still available.
Watauga Humane Society Suspends Pet Adoptions for Two Weeks
If you were looking to adopt a dog from the Watauga Humane Society, you will have to wait a couple of weeks. The Watauga County Humane Society has suspended pet adoptions for two weeks after a confirmed case of Canine Distemper. According to shelter manager Lynn Northup, the shelter took in a stray female dog that had distemper. Distemper is a multisystem, often fatal, virus. The early symptoms of distemper include fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting and mild eye inflammation. Cases are rare and vaccines prevent the virus. Standard vaccines for dogs include a vaccine for distemper and all the dogs at the humane society are vaccinated as soon as they enter the shelter. However, unvaccinated animals can get distemper from wild animals, and the shelter has shut down adoptions as a precaution. Luckily, none of the pets at the shelter have shown any symptoms of the virus. Northup said protocol for dealing with an animal with distemper is usually to close down the dog kennels for three weeks, but since the dog was treated for a week, they can cut that time to two weeks. The stray dog was put down after it didn't respond to treatments for nearly a week. Northup says the Watauga County Humane Society will remain open, but they will not be taking in or adopting any dogs at this time. Canine adoption will resume on June 24 and cat adoption is still available.
No TrackBacks
TrackBack URL: http://www.mtn18.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2336
Leave a comment