FORT WORTH, Texas — The Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT) said in a news release Monday it is "cautiously optimistic that the tide has turned" in regards to the number of distemper cases at the shelter.
Earlier in July, the shelter was dealing with testing as many as 350 dogs and temporarily closed all of its dog adoption and animal intake locations while it dealt with the outbreak.
On Monday, the shelter said it had not had a positive case in more than 10 days, and it was currently treating 48 dogs who had tested positive for distemper. Distemper is a highly contagious and serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems of puppies and dogs.
The shelter said it would remain closed for the intake of all animals until further notice. However, HSNT has opened adoptions at its Keller Regional, Keller Welcome Home, and Benbrook Waggin’ Tails facilities to 45 dogs that were fully vaccinated prior to the outbreak, or have tested negative for distemper.
The distemper tests for all of those dogs is not cheap, though, and HSNT is asking for donations to help pay for tests. There is also an Amazon Wishlist for HSNT which includes highest need items as rice, Gatorade, chicken broth and chicken stock.
HSNT is also encouraging pet owners to make sure their furry friends are current on required vaccinations, as they said they have been effective at protecting dogs from distemper.
