ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Winnebago County Animal Services (WCAS) announced it will be resuming dog adoptions at their facility on Wednesday.
The county had temporarily suspended adoption operations after a “potentially severe” upper respiratory infection was found in several dogs housed at the Animal Services’ facility.
“Strep Zoo (Streptococcus Zooepidemicus) has been found in several dogs currently housed at Winnebago County Animal Services,” the department said in a Facebook post on Saturday. “Strep Zoo is a bacterial infection that is highly contagious and spreads quickly in shelter environments where there is high population levels causing stressful environments for the dogs.”
Dogs housed at the facility were treated with penicillin injections in response to the outbreak, according to WCAS.
“We are pleased to be able to resume adoptions and are thankful for the community’s patience during this time,” said Jennifer Stacy, Interim Administrator/Director of WCAS in a press release. “While we continue to work towards eliminating this highly virulent pathogen from our facility, we encourage the residents of our community to help save lives through adoption.”