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PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – Maricopa County Animal Care & Control announced the temporary closure of its east valley shelter due to a potential illness among its dogs.
MCACC says several dogs at the shelter, located at 2630 W. Rio Salado Parkway, have tested positive for distemper, a highly contagious and fatal viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems. In addition, the shelter says several other dogs are beginning to show symptoms of the disease, including fever, lethargy, nasal discharge and neurological ticks. The disease is spread through coughs, sneezes, tears, saliva, urine and faeces.
MCACC will close its East Valley shelter beginning Sunday at 5 p.m. until further notice. At the closing, shelter staff will test about 300 dogs for the virus and determine next steps in care. The shelter is working to stop the spread of the virus by consulting with veterinarians and faculty from the Midwestern University Shelter and Community Medicine Program.
MCACC is asking the community to verify that all of your pets are up to date on their vaccinations. They are also looking for more volunteers to help with the western shelter. MCACC says all adoption fees will be waived at both shelter locations during this time. People interested in adopting a dog at the Eastern shelter can “blind adopt”, meaning there will be no meeting, but the dogs can be viewed from the kennel.
The shelter will provide updates on the status of the outbreak in the coming days.
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