Animal shelters in Delaware are being forced to isolate dogs in their care as a respiratory illness is spreading in the community. NBC10 Delaware Bureau reporter Tim Furlong explains.
Some services at an animal shelter are shut down because of a viral outbreak. Dog adoptions, surrenders and the Doggy Day Out program are temporarily suspended for the foreseeable future.
A severe respiratory virus is making its way through the Humane Animal Partners location in Wilmington, Delaware.
The veterinarians say they noticed dogs coughing and with runny noses.
The outbreak has forced the shelter to stop taking in dogs and adopting them out to new homes.
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"It is something that does happen, not frequently, but it happens." Dr. Sara Jastrekbski said. "These diseases are sort of in the community everywhere so when they do happen, what we try to do is mitigate it as quickly as possible."
They say that the most important thing right now is making sure the dogs get and stay healthy.
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HAP explained that the emergency treatment for infected dogs set them back more than $2,000 so far.
If you want to help HAP said the best way is to donate to the shelter.
Meanwhile, the cat department is still open.
The Stanton and Rehoboth Beach HAP locations are still open and operating normally.
NBC10 is committed to helping Clear the Shelters across our area. You can find out more on how to adopt a new pet into your family by clicking here.
