The Paulding County animal shelter will re-open Thursday, more than two weeks after it was ordered closed after 12 dogs died.
Officials from the state Department of Agriculture visited the shelter Wednesday, according to facility director Tracy Thompson. The agency enacted a mandatory quarantine last month after the animals' deaths, believed to have been caused by a rare disease.
During the closed period, animals could not leave or arrive at the shelter, Thompson said.
"Strep zoo" typically occurs in horses, but is treatable if caught in time. Many of the dogs that died appeared fine prior to their deaths, Thompson told the AJC.
All of the animals in the shelter were placed on antibiotics and the facility was thoroughly cleaned, Thompson said. The dogs that may have been exposed to the disease will have to stay at the shelter at least five more days to insure the illness isn't spread, she said.
Any animals that come into the shelter will be treated with antibiotics for five days, Thompson said.
