Authorities in the San Antonio area are sounding an alarm about an increase in the number of instances of a fatal virus that has been found in shelter dogs.
Canine distemper virus cases have been on the rise, according to the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services, which has seen this trend.
The government organization is requesting that all residents do whatever they can to protect the health of their animals, beginning with ensuring that their canines are immunized against the extremely contagious disease.
Virus Attacks Respiratory System Of Dogs
According to a statement made by the ACS in a post on Facebook, “distemper is a fatal virus that assaults a dog’s respiratory and nervous systems.” “Shelters all around the state of Texas, including the one in San Antonio, have reported an increase in the number of animals that have contracted this lethal illness.
When working with the most high-risk animals, our staff always makes sure to wear the required personal protective equipment (PPE), vaccinates the animals as soon as they come into our care, and cleans, sanitizes, and disinfects all areas and supplies on a routine basis.”
Due to the historically low vaccination rate in our neighborhood and despite their best efforts, distemper is still showing up in local shelters and rescues. This is because there are so many pets in our community that have not been vaccinated against the disease.
Community clinics will be held twice a month thanks to a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the Animal Defense League of Texas. These clinics will enable people to acquire free vaccinations for their dogs.
Those who live in San Antonio can get their cats and dogs chipped and vaccinated at the same time.
Any dog or cat that is eligible will receive a rabies vaccination that is good for one year and, if necessary, a registered microchip.
Vaccines against DHPP will be made available for canines, and vaccines against FVRCP will be made available for felines. These foundational vaccines will assist in protecting pets against a variety of diseases, including distemper, that are prevalent in our area.
The free vaccinations and microchips will only be given out to the first one hundred animals who are brought in, and the clinics will only serve the inhabitants of the City of San Antonio. Remember to bring valid photo identification with you.
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