Wichita Animal Shelter adjusts procedures regarding sick animals

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Wichita Animal Shelter said it’s had to make changes to its procedures in response to decades-old rules from the Kansas Department of Agriculture about how to handle sick animals.

Although euthanasia numbers remain steady, shelter officials said the past month has been full of tough decisions.

Last month, several local animal shelters expressed concerns about what they called new enforcement of an old state law. The law bars animals with contagious diseases from being transported from one shelter to another or from a shelter to a rescue.

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Lieutenant Derek Purcell with the Wichita Animal Shelter said they’re still trying to find a new normal with the increased enforcement.

On Wednesday, they had to put down four dogs who had heartworm and three with kennel cough since they couldn’t send them to rescues.

They’ve made changes to how they handle sick animals to prevent the spread, concerned that they’d have to put more dogs down if they can’t send them to rescues.

“The contradiction now is if the animals are sick in that hall, I have to move them out immediately because I do not want the remaining animals to become affected because then they’d be stuck in the same boat as those that are actively sick,” Purcell said.

The rule from the KDA still allows shelters to send sick animals to foster homes under proper veterinary supervision. Purcell said the shelter has a limited number of foster homes.

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When they take in a sick animal, it can prevent that home from taking in other animals for 30 days.

The KDA said they know the rules can be hard on shelters with limited space.

The hope is that being strict on disease prevention now can greatly limit the amount of disease found in the population in the future.

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