Dog tests positive for contagious virus at Las Vegas shelter
The Animal Foundation said a dog at the shelter tested positive for a “highly contagious and serious virus.”
The shelter said in an Instagram post that a dog at the shelter tested positive for canine distemper — a virus that attacks dogs’ respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The association said dogs with the virus can experience fever, coughing, lethargy, reduced appetite, vomiting, diarrhea and, when it attacks the nervous system, can cause muscle twitches, seizures and partial or complete paralysis, among other symptoms.
The disease is spread through the air, direct contact and contaminated services, according to the shelter.
The shelter said the dog arrived on Saturday from the 89101 ZIP code. She showed signs of illness and was immediately isolated.
Staff is working to combat the spread of disease by isolating symptomatic dogs, contacting adopters and rescuers who took exposed dogs, and testing and monitoring exposed dogs while working with disease control experts, the shelter said.
“With 647 animals in our care, overcrowding makes disease control even harder. And this isn’t even our ‘busy’ season,” the shelter wrote.
The Animal Foundation recommended that dog owners vaccinate their pets for the virus, and said “vaccination is the ONLY protection” against canine distemper. People are also encouraged to adopt, foster, volunteer at the shelter and donate dog treats and other supplies.
The shelter has struggled to fight disease amid overcrowding in recent years.
Canine Pneumovirus broke out at the shelter in October 2022 and October 2023, which coincided with an outbreak of Strep Zoo, short for Canine Streptococcal Zooepidemicus. Both diseases cause coughing, fever lethargy and other respiratory issues for dogs.
Two dogs died from Strep Zoo during the 2023 outbreak at the shelter, the Review-Journal reported.
In February 2024, The Animal Foundation confirmed 160 dogs were infected with canine influenza. The outbreak also spread to the Henderson Animal Shelter and Nevada SPCA.
