Distemper identified in Brandon animals
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/02/2022 (1499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The province’s chief veterinary officer carried out an animal welfare inspection at the Brandon City Pound on Friday after several members of the public raised concern about potential cases of an illness spread between animals.
Brandon Police Service supervisor of traffic and bylaw Sgt. Kevin McLean said the provincial inspector was there to do due diligence.
“I think they had been getting some complaints from some people that there was possibly an outbreak of distemper there,” he said.
Distemper is a virus that can infect many animals, including dogs and cats. Symptoms can include a fever, eye inflammation, eye and nose discharge, laboured breathing, coughing, vomiting and nose and footpad hardening. It can be fatal, but animals can be vaccinated against it.
The virus can spread between animals and can be carried by strays.
McLean said Friday afternoon he wasn’t sure of the details of what the provincial inspector found, but wasn’t aware of any immediate issues.
The inspection comes after several sick cats were euthanized after being picked up by the city’s animal control officer, he said. Since early December approximately 15 cats were euthanized.
Only animals that are very sick and don’t have owners are euthanized, he said. If a cat has an ear tattoo, it will be reunited with its owner.
“From what the animal control officer explains to me, they’ve been having more cats picked up lately … it could be many factors,” he said, speculating it could be people abandoning cats they adopted during the pandemic.
“These cats are very sick. If they’re not sick and if they’re not a danger of passing that onto another cat, we’re not taking them to the vet to have them put down … It’s only the very sick cats that get taken for euthanasia, and that’s just the reality of the situation, unfortunately,” he said.
A spokesperson for the province said no further information could be provided on the inspection or cases of distemper at the pound.
» dmay@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @DrewMay_