TULSA, Okla — The City of Tulsa Animal Welfare is working to stop the spread of a potentially fatal virus.
Officials say this is a pretty rare disease, one they haven't seen in a decade.
Animal Welfare officials say they've seen several cases of canine distemper virus, or CDV, since late March and more are continuing to surface.
CDV is a serious, sometimes fatal, viral illness that affects dogs.
The illness can strike a dog at any age, but young unvaccinated puppies are most vulnerable to it.
Tulsa Animal Welfare is in contact with experts at The Shelter Medicine program at a University, as well as The Humane Society of US Shelter Ally Project.
All dogs adopted from Tulsa Animal Welfare have been vaccinated for CDV, but it is not immediately effective.
They are trying to save as many of their dogs as possible. Knowing that it could interrupt their regular operations for days, even weeks.
A local vet tells us key symptoms are fever, eye and skin infections, and some could be neurological.
Dr. Samantha Ketcher from Woodland West Animal Hospital told us, "I imagine there's a fair amount of discomfort with it. I'm not 100 percent sure what they feel, but they definitely seem very ill when they're here for it."
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