Cobb County’s animal shelter could reopen as early as Friday after shutting its doors two weeks ago to suppress a highly contagious bacterial infection that killed four dogs.
Tests on the dogs revealed they had streptococcus zooepidemicus, an infection that affects the respiratory system and is often fatal to shelter animals, county spokesman Ross Cavitt said previously.
RELATED: Cobb animal shelter closes after at least 2 dogs die of contagious infection
After learning of the infection, the shelter immediately shut its doors to the public and stopped accepting all new animals. Veterinarians vaccinated the remaining pets against the infection as professional cleaners were brought in to scrub the shelter top-to-bottom, Cavitt said Tuesday.
“They’re hoping to finish up today,” he said. “If no other symptoms show up, we’re on track to open back up Friday.”
Employees called pet owners who adopted animals in the days leading up to the outbreak, but none of those dogs or cats exhibited any symptoms.
While the facility was being cleaned, the Atlanta Humane Society donated about 80 crates so any pets brought in by Cobb’s animal control officers could be housed off-premises.
In other news:
About the Author
