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NHS says a dog from the shelter tested positive for canine distemper

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  • A former shelter dog tested positive for canine distemper on a PCR test
  • The dog was vaccinated for distemper upon entering the shelter
  • The dog started showing signs of illness on August 13

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

The Nebraska Humane Society has two dogs in isolation after a dog from the shelter tested positive for canine distemper, raising concerns about the spread of the disease.

"We're in this waiting period where we need to be, uber careful, make sure that there isn't any spread to other animals," said NHS Medical Director Doctor Amber Horn.

Horn says the dog was adopted from the shelter early August and started showing signs of sickness last week.

"We are very fortunate here in Omaha, here at the shelter because of our, vaccination, our cleaning disinfection protocol, our, daily medical rounds, our volunteers monitoring the animals," said Horn.

Though distemper is a common disease this incident is extremely rare for this humane society. Horn says it's the first time a dog from their population has tested positive for the illness.

It could be a possible false positive due to test timing and when the dog last got their vaccine.