Tulsa Animal Welfare Closes To Address Canine Distemper Outbreak

City of Tulsa Animal Welfare is closing indefinitely after having an outbreak of a contagious disease called Canine Distemper Virus.

The shelter says it is acting quickly because the CDV virus is extremely serious and potentially deadly for dogs.

Right now, the shelter has isolated infected dogs and is monitoring the ones that are healthy.

All dogs at the shelter are vaccinated for CDV, but they say the vaccine is not immediately effective.

The shelter says unvaccinated dogs, especially puppies are the most at risk to get sick.

Veterinarian Doctor David Bailey says this kind of outbreak is not uncommon but is still concerning when it does happen.

"Our particular shelter experienced an outbreak similar to this a few years back," Bailey said. "There are several other shelters in the country that periodically experience outbreaks like this. It's something all of us in the shelter world work very hard to prevent, but unfortunately, sometimes things happen anyway."

The Shelter says anyone who has recently adopted from the Tulsa Animal Welfare should consider taking their pet to a veterinarian to receive any booster shots for the virus.