ECSO/SPCA pet vaccination clinic a success | Local News | waxahachiesun.com – Waxahachie Sun

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Partly cloudy. Low 79F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: August 16, 2022 @ 9:27 am
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Within minutes of the opening of a free pet vaccine clinic, cars and pickups with dogs and cats were lined up all the way around the Ellis County Expo Center, down the driveway and out the driveway entrance on to the U.S. Highway 287 Bypass service road. The event was co-sponsored by the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and SPCA of Texas.
“This year, we had an unusually large (canine) distemper outbreak in Ellis County,” Sheriff Brad Norman said. “In fact, it shut down our SPCA animal shelter for a couple of months. We could only take in injured, vicious, and sick animals. We could not intake nuisance animals. (It was) just recently we were able to reopen the shelter.”
The clinic provided free vaccinations, including rabies, parvo, and distemper for both dogs and cats. Microchipping was also available.
“This is an effort to help curb that (distemper) outbreak and be a service to the people of Ellis County,” Norman said.
Deputies directed traffic, separating the cat- and dog-carrying vehicles, as SPCA staff stayed busy registering animals and providing the needed vaccinations. Cat vaccinations were given inside the SPCA’s mobile surgical unit that was brought to the expo to facilitate the flow of animals through the line.
“We have been doing all the sheltering for the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and (several) area municipalities,” said Victoria Cowper, SPCA of Texas. “We know vaccinations are a great prevention measure, so we are partnering with the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office today, along with PETCO and Merck to provide the vaccines.”
Cowper noted that canine distemper cases have been on the rise in North Texas, which led to the nonprofit’s three facilities, including its Ellis County shelter, being shut down for about two months. The SPCA has a contract with Ellis County to take in not only cases involving rabies quarantine, injured and aggressive canines, but also those considered stray and nuisance. During the quarantine, the SPCA was unable to accept any stray or nuisance dogs due to the quarantine measures in place.
“Distemper is a highly contagious and highly fatal disease, so we had to put everybody in isolation and do testing and we finally cleared all the facilities as of today,” she said.  
The SPCA had planned on administering 200 vaccination doses at Saturday’s clinic; however, a little more than an hour after opening, Cowper said she was sending for additional doses. By morning’s end, the effort had run out of vaccinations after treating close to 390 animals. Those who were still in line were given vouchers to get their pets vaccinated later.    
Additional clinics may be scheduled if deemed necessary, officials said.
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