Midwest City Animal Shelter closed due to flu, strep outbreak
Stephanie Aschenbrenner, animal welfare officer, gives medication to a dog last week at the Midwest City Animal Shelter. PHOTO PROVIDED
By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon
The City of Midwest City has temporarily closed its Animal Services Center, 8485 E. Reno Ave., due to an outbreak of dog flu and dog strep.
The animal shelter has been closed since April 3. It will remain closed to the public for two weeks and is expected to reopen on April 17.
All public access to the facility is prohibited during this time. There will be no adoptions or animal surrenders until further notice. Staff will respond only to emergency service calls.
Residents needing to reclaim their lost pet will be able to contact Animal Welfare and discuss the process by calling (405) 739-1400.
Teresa Coplen, animal welfare supervisor, said she learned about the outbreak after reading about a similar issue at the Oklahoma City animal shelter. On April 3, she evaluated all of the dogs in the shelter and noticed that five had a bad cough, drainage from their noses and were not eating.
Copeland said the infection spread throughout the shelter and all 32 dogs are now sick.
The city’s veterinary partner recommended closure as the best course of action to stop an outbreak.
All dogs are being confined to their kennel and not being moved to contain the spread. Animal shelter staff treat the dogs twice a day with doxycycline, Caphalexin and cough tabs. They are also making sure dogs stay hydrated and monitor symptoms throughout the day, Copeland said.
None of the dogs have been put down because of the outbreak.
“Our city management is very supportive and encourage us to seek out vet treatment before any other options were considered,” Copeland said.
The animal shelter is asking the public for donations to help with the outbreak. They need pill pockets, Kuranda dog beds and pedilyte (no red or orange).
Items can be purchased directly from the Midwest City Animal Services Center’s Amazon Wish List. The link can be found on the city’s website (www.midwestcityok.org/animal-welfare)
Copeland said that Toucan Productions is letting the shelter borrow two UV disinfecting lamps. The lamps will disinfect a large room within 30 minutes.
