BARC, Houston’s animal shelter and adoption center, has paused all public dog intake and put infectious disease protocol in place after detecting a positive case of distemper in their shelter.
The dog that tested positive was brought in as a stray from the field, said Cory Stottlemyer, Public Information Officer and Deputy Shelter Director at BARC.
Distemper is a viral disease that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of dogs and other animals, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Symptoms in dogs infected by the disease can include nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing and in severe cases – impact to the animal’s neurological system or death.
Immediately after medical staff noticed the dog was displaying symptoms of distemper – they tested for the contagious disease.
Prior to receiving these results – under veterinary direction – the dog was immediately euthanized to avoid further spread to other animals on the property, according to a press release from BARC.
As of Monday, staff identified 70 dogs that were potentially exposed and placed them in quarantine in two wards of BARC’s evaluation building, Stottlemyer said.
These dogs will remain in their kennels but can be taken to outdoor runs designated solely for their use while protocols are still in place. Specific paths have been cleared for the dogs to exit these wards, to avoid potential cross-contamination with surrounding areas.
According to Stottlemyer, the areas under quarantine are away from the public and the protocols taken should provide assurance that no other areas will be exposed to the infection.
The staff members that are handling these dogs are instructed to wear full gowns and clean the bottom of their shoes before entering and exiting the quarantine wards.
Additional cleaning of items in these wards like laundry and food bowls will be cleaned in separate areas, so there is no risk in contamination with non-quarantine items also being cleaned, Stottlemyer said.
Staff has not identified any other exposed dogs at this; however, staff will be monitoring all animals both in the shelter and those incoming for any symptoms of distemper.
Other than dog intake operations, all of BARC’s services are still available to the public including:
• Cat intake appointments
• Intake of sick, injured or fading animals
• Calls for service to animal enforcement officers
• Drive-through clinic assistance for foster animals
• Heart worm treatment appointments for all pets
• Regular cat adoptions
• Adoption of dogs categorized as low risk
• Return to owner services, following proper sanitation protocols
If BARC receives no positive test results of the dogs that are under quarantine they may resume dog intake in mid-March, but this is all contingent on the test results, said Stottlemyer.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
