Humane society handles distemper

One treated, 18 quarantined

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Humane Society is working to quarantine a case of distemper.

It's rumored there is an outbreak of distemper at the shelter. Humane Society Board Member Marilyn Bertram assures the public it is not the case.

"This was not an outbreak, we corrected it early," she said. "It was an isolated case of distemper."

One puppy was adopted out and returned after the owner said it was diagnosed with distemper by a veterinarian, she said. The puppy is quarantined and being treated. Other animals who were at risk of the virus are quarantined and observed to make sure they did not catch the virus.

One animal kept in the same pen as the infected puppy was not at risk because it was already vaccinated from the virus, Humane Society Operations Director Mary DeHerrera said.

The 18 dogs are quarantined for a 10-day period. If they show no symptoms of the virus, within that time, the animals are deemed healthy.

There are many symptoms a dog can suffer with the virus said Veterinary Technician Melissa Garcia with Pioneer Animal Clinic, who is not affiliated with the shelter.

Generally the dog experiences several symptoms including diarrhea, depression, dehydration, anorexia and a respiratory infection, she said. It affects their central nervous system. To treat the virus, the animal must be quarantined from other pets and the secondary symptoms must be treated while the dog fights off the virus, she said.

It can be avoided if people get their animals vaccinated from the virus. It can be fatal.

No other animals are showing symptoms of the virus, Bertram said. In the rare case something like this happens, a veterinarian is consulted immediately. In this case the veterinarian advised the animals be quarantined and the puppy be treated, she said.

Distemper is diagnosed with an expensive blood draw, she said. The shelter does not have the funds to do this on every admitted animal.

There are nearly 700 animals admitted each month, DeHerrera said. The shelter keeps all animals for a 72-hour period before adopting them out to make sure they are healthy.

"We have no history of that animal when it comes into the shelter," Bertram said. "A lot of times we don't get the truth."

When pet owners release their animals to the shelter, sometimes they do not tell the truth about whether or not the animal was vaccinated, she added.

The humane society does not turn away animals because they need to be cared for rather than dumped somewhere, DeHerrera said. The humane society sees animals from all over the area.

"We take what the public throws at us. There's no guarantee at any shelter. We have no way of knowing," Bertram said. "The lesson here is get your animals vaccinated, spayed and neutered."

Bertram assures the animals are safe for adoption and the quarantined animals will be ready in a few days.