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UPDATE (Oct. 4) — One dog died after a respiratory illness was discovered at the Animal Foundation shelter in Las Vegas.
The Animal Foundation said the illness was first discovered on Sept. 28 when a dog who was with a foster family had exhibited signs of a respiratory illness. The shelter said the dog’s symptoms were so severe that the dog was euthanized.
The shelter said on Sept. 30, test results for the dog came back positive for pathogens including Strep Zoo and Canine Pneumovirus.
According to the shelter, Strep Zoo is an upper respiratory infection that is prevalent even in healthy animals, and symptoms only present themselves when an animal’s immune system is compromised.
One dog died after a respiratory illness was discovered at the Animal Foundation shelter in Las Vegas.
Canine Pneumovirus is a virus that is highly contagious to dogs. The shelter said there are no preventative vaccines for the virus and dogs don’t have natural immunity to it.
The shelter said they immediately notified anyone who had left the facility with a dog who had been in contact with the sick dog.
On Tuesday, Las Vegas animal rescue Hearts Alive Village said on Facebook, “If you picked up a dog from the Animal Foundation in the last couple of weeks, it would behoove you to treat that dog and resident dogs prophylactically with antibiotics. Please do not take them to public places, parks, dog parks, daycare, boarding, etc.”
One animal advocate expressed frustration that the Animal Foundation did not notify the public about this last week.
“At least in that sense people can be prepared, they can know what to do, they can call ahead to their vet, they can know not to go to the dog park,” said Gina Greisen, President, Nevada Voters for Animals.
Other dogs believed to be exposed in the Animal Foundation were placed in quarantine.
The shelter said 17 dogs at the Animal Foundation are showing signs of an upper respiratory illness as of Tuesday afternoon.
No other animals have been euthanized, the shelter said.
As of Tuesday, they are still awaiting test results on what illness the dogs have, but the animals have started antibiotics.
The shelter’s Adoption Center has reopened for cats and small mammal and exotic adoptions. Dog adoptions are still halted, however, and officials say it is unclear when dog adoptions will resume.
Original story continues below.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Animal Foundation announced it will pause all adoptions after discovering a possible illness spreading among animals at the facility.
According to the shelter, 16 dogs are currently suffering symptoms of a respiratory illness. The dogs are currently on a series of antibiotics.
The shelter said no animals have been euthanized.
Transfers and foster opportunities have also been halted due to the potential risk.
In a social media post Monday evening the pet shelter said:
This comes as the shelter continues to deal with an overfilling facility and staffing issues.
Just last week several employees suddenly resigned and walked off their jobs, alleging poor working conditions at The Animal Foundation.
The next day, the shelter put out an urgent call for adoptions. The Animal Foundation said its capacity was at a critical point. Taking in over 2,000 animals in September alone.
Last Thursday, it reported having 673 animals on its campus and said 370 animals still needed to be placed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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