The owner of a Winnipeg pet store whose business had been without water for about a month as a result of frozen pipes says she may have to close up shop due to mounting bills.

Tanya Morgan, owner of Pet Peripherals, had been hauling water into her store for about four weeks after her store's pipes froze last month. The water was being used to groom, clean animals and their cages, fill fish tanks, and hydrate the pets. But despite Morgan's efforts, several animals have already died.

"Some green anoles, some firebelly newts, a lot of fish, some mice," Morgan told CTV Winnipeg.

She added that there has been a significant drop in her store's revenue as a result of the frozen pipes. "Half of my business was my grooming salon, and without water, I can't groom, so half of my business is gone."

Morgan's winter woes are not unique. Across Canada, thousands of people are dealing with frozen pipes as a result of winter's unrelenting grip.

In Winnipeg, one of the worst-hit communities, residents in more than 600 homes were waiting to have their pipes thawed earlier this month. Some of them had been without water for 15 days.

The city had estimated it would take about three weeks to thaw all the frozen pipes.

While city crews were able to successfully restore the water at Morgan's store on Sunday, she says it's likely too late.

She said the month-long wait for water to return to her store means she may have to close her business at the end of the month.

"I'm at a state where I'm sitting here watching animals die, and my business close down, and my hands are tied. I have nothing I can do. It's completely out of my control," Morgan said.

"I will start over and try to slowly pay off debts so that I am not personally bankrupt."

Prior to the water being restored at Morgan's pet shop, many of her customers said they were also frustrated by the situation.

"It's negligent for the City of Winnipeg to be letting this happen and not figuring out another option for her to have running water so that she can care for the animals," Jessica Hansen told CTV Winnipeg.

With files from CTV Winnipeg