Approximately 200 animals will be euthanized, and the Catawba County Animal Shelter will be temporarily closed because of the outbreak of an unidentified illness.
The animals, which shelter officials said are primarily dogs and cats, will be euthanized during the next week, and the entire building will be sanitized in an effort to clear the shelter of a virus that kills both cats and dogs and has thus far proved untreatable.
“It's a mystery,” Jay Blatche, the shelter’s animal services manager, said. “It is a very bad disease. Everyone here is saddened by what we are doing today. There's been some tears and I'm sure there will be some nightmares for our staff.”
The outbreak of an upper respiratory illness was first noticed about a month ago, according to shelter officials. Despite tests at the shelter and at animal virus labs at Cornell University and Oklahoma State University, the illness remains unidentified.
The shelter, located on U.S. 321 in Newton, is closed as of Wednesday. The animals currently housed there are considered to have been exposed to the illness and will be euthanized. Shelter officials said they made the decision in an effort to contain the virus.
“We have made this extremely difficult decision, in consultation with our contract veterinarian, to protect the health and safety of the total animal population of Catawba County,” Blatche said. “The action follows an increasing number of cases of an upper respiratory illness that continues to be seen in animals at the shelter. The virus results in high fever, vomiting and diarrhea and has proven very difficult to treat.”
In a further effort to contain the disease, no adoptions from the shelter are being allowed.
“It's terrible,” Terri Ziba, an animal lover who was turned away from the shelter on Wednesday, said. “I hate it. It's breaking my heart standing here thinking about it … because they need love.”
Shelter officials said animals that were adopted out of the shelter recently and then got sick have been returned.
The shelter typically takes 30 animals a day, but is not accepting animals from the public during the temporary closure.
The kennels will undergo a thorough sanitation process that includes cleaning with bleach, detergent and antimicrobial agents, as well as pressure cleaning with hot water. The entire shelter will be cleaned, along with the heating and air conditioning system.
A temporary shelter has been created outdoors to house animals until the regular shelter is reopened. Officials said they hope to contain the virus and reopen by Sept. 7.
The county will continue to provide animal control services, and the public can still contact the shelter to report dangerous situations involving animals.
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