Local shelter takes rabies precautions

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John M. Steiner / The Sun Anne Carlsen Center student Nikki Blacker, 20, pets a cat at the James River Humane Society in Jamestown. Officials there say veterinarians check each animal for contagious diseases like rabies before the animals are allowed to interact.

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A North Dakota shelter will likely euthanize about 20 animals soon after a rabies exposure, but officials here say similar situations haven’t happened here.

Health officials in Grand Forks this month recommended the Circle of Friends Humane Society euthanize about 20 dogs after a stray with rabies was taken in at the shelter. Because the animal had direct contact with others, about 20 other dogs may also need to be euthanized, according to Grand Forks Herald reports. Fourteen other dogs had been adopted and may also need euthanization.

Rabies is a virus that affects mammals and is almost always fatal. Symptoms include weakness, discomfort, fever or headache at first, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Later symptoms include cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion and agitation.

At the James River Humane Society in Jamestown, pets visit a veterinarian within a business day of their arrival at the shelter, said Skip Olson, president.

If the animals need vaccinations or any other treatment, James River Humane Society pays for it. Any animal waiting the weekend for treatment is kept in isolation until a veterinarian is available, Olson said.

In her 10 years with the shelter, Olson said she doesn’t remember a similar situation regarding rabies here.

“We don’t take any chances with our animals,” she said.

The James River Humane Society takes in about 100 animals per year. Most of them are adopted within 12 months. Animals at the shelter longer than 12 months remain — JRHS has a no-kill policy.

To Olson, the news about the animals in Grand Forks is sad although logical.

“I understand that once you have something like that, you can’t take any risk,” she said.

In Grand Forks, animals aren’t vaccinated upon arrival at the shelter. Those vaccinations wouldn’t have helped an animal already contaminated with the disease. Plus, once an animal is vaccinated, it takes months for the medication to take full effect, officials told The Grand Forks Herald.

Animals impounded at the Jamestown Police Department do not receive veterinary treatment, although they are isolated from other animals, said Becky Johnson, animal control officer. Typically, owners pick them up, she said. But if not, the pets are euthanized or sent to a rescue group, she said.

Police euthanized two dogs and eight cats last year.

Animals are typically euthanized because of their behavior or because they are unadoptable, Johnson said. Rarely is it because of rabies symptoms or other diseases. Only once did police have to euthanize an animal because it exhibited symptoms of rabies, Johnson said. After the animal was euthanized, the tests were negative, she said, but officers were still concerned.

“It’s not really common, but it’s scary when it hurts,” she said.

News like the dogs in Grand Forks is sad Johnson said, because it’s preventable.

“If you do have a concern, vaccinate your pets,” she said.

Sun reporter Katie Ryan can be reached at 701-952-8454

or by e-mail at

kryan@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, animal, shelter, humane, rabies