EDISON — Following a two-week closure, the township’s animal shelter has reopened.
The shelter, which had been closed indefinitely on Sept. 17 after an outbreak of the fungal infection, ringworm, reopened on Oct. 5.
The ringworm was detected during a routine inspection by the Middlesex County Health Department and the New Brunswick-based Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
Township Business Administrator Maureen Ruane authorized the closure, and at the time, emphasized that her primary concern was to “protect our six-person staff, 87 volunteers and the public, and to provide treatment to the affected pets.”
According to township officials, Edison hired a licensed remediation firm on an emergency basis to clean and disinfect the shelter, which at the time of closure housed 13 dogs, 31 cats and kittens and a rabbit.
Of those animals, the infection only impacted eight cats and the rabbit, according to shelter Director Kirsten Arcell.
“This was actually not a major outbreak,” Arcell said, explaining that there has been an increase in the number of shelters dealing with ringworm, and that kittens and animals with weak immune systems are the most susceptible.
Complicating the issue is that some animals are asymptomatic carriers of the fungus.
“It’s just kind of everywhere all the time,” she said.
Affected animals were quarantined and put on medication. Veterinarians under contract from Sayrebrook Veterinary Hospital examined the animals on three separate occasions during the outbreak, she said.
Now the animals are completing their rounds of medication.
“They’re playful; they’re happy,” Arcell said, adding that shelter staff is just waiting for negative test results to ensure that they’re clear of the fungus.
A few animals needing shelter services during those two weeks were rerouted to the Woodbridge facility in the township’s Sewaren section. Following the reopening, one cat was moved back to Edison, and other animals were reunited with their owners.
The Edison Animal Shelter, an adoptiononly facility, provides animal-control services for Metuchen, Piscataway, Dunellen, Scotch Plains and Edison.
“Our municipal animal shelter is a valuable resource for Edison and our surrounding area,” Ruane said. “The hard work that our shelter staff and dedicated volunteers routinely do enables Edison to provide firstrate community services.”
Ruane went on to say that, since January, the shelter has placed 140 cats and kittens, along with 72 dogs, with new owners
“Our shelter does a tremendous job of reuniting lost pets with their rightful owners,” Ruane added, noting that the shelter humanely helps limit the area’s feral cat population by providing veterinary care and neutering services.
According to Arcell, now it’s business as usual at the shelter.
“Everything’s back to normal,” she said, explaining that shelter staff had plenty to do during the closure — primarily caring for all the animals, both those with ringworm and without.
After the reopening, the shelter resumed posting information about available pets on its Facebook page, where it also announced its reopening. The reopening post was met with a few followers sharing that they were happy to hear the news.
To contact the shelter, call 732-248- 7278.