Officials with the Humane Society of North Texas say they're optimistic that the work they have done to address a distemper outbreak at their animal shelter in Fort Worth is paying off. It's been more than ten days since any new cases were detected at the facility.
The distemper outbreak was detected earlier this summer and affected dozens of dogs. Of the 300 dogs still at the facility, about 48 are still being treated for the virus. It can cause fever, coughing and vomiting and other symptoms in dogs.
Many of the animals that are ill still need to be fed by hand. Caring for those animals is expensive, and the Humane Society recently put out a public appeal for donations to help cover those costs.
The organization's animal shelter in Fort Worth is still closed to the intake of any new animals while staffers focus on treating the affected dogs.
Dogs that have been sick will have to have two negative distemper tests at least one week apart before they are eligible for adoption.