KITCHENER ? Dog adoptions have been halted temporarily at the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society while two puppies that came down with diarrhea are treated.
The measure was taken Wednesday after staff isolated the two puppies who were brought in a week before Christmas from a rural area, said Jack Kinch, the humane society?s executive director.
It isn?t yet clear what caused the diarrhea. Kinch said it could be a change in food, the stress of adjusting to the humane society environment, or parvovirus, a highly contagious disease that most often affects puppies.
The humane society inoculated other dogs kept in pens near the puppies if there was any doubt they had previously had shots.
The puppies are under a vet?s care.
?Rather than put other dogs at risk we?ve suspended adoptions,?? Kinch said. ?We want to protect them and the rest of the population.??
He expects adoptions will reopen by the weekend.
Cats are not at risk, he said.
Any animals that come into the shelter aren?t released for adoption for five days. That provides time for owners to reclaim their pets, Kinch said.
During that period, animals are checked by a veterinarian and staff members monitor their health and behaviour.
Last summer, the humane society was forced to close its doors to the public for several weeks following a suspected ringworm outbreak. Ringworm is a fungus that causes skin infection and loss of fur on animals. It can be passed to humans.
Three cats and a dog were euthanized to protect the rest of the animals. The society spent more than $50,000 to manage and treat the disease. It lost more than $40,000 in adoption revenue.
Kinch said it?s not rare to isolate dogs due to suspicion of parvovirus.
?In the rural community, we find that animals ? are more likely to be exposed to certain things than animals from an urban community,?? he said. ?Farm dogs usually receive a different level of vet care than house dogs.??
Before releasing dogs for adoption, the society tests them to ensure they interact well with other animals and people, Kinch said.
?We will not knowingly adopt out an animal that?s aggressive or unsafe to be around people,?? he said.
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