The outbreak of an unidentified canine illness shut down a Prince George’s County, Maryland, animal shelter and halted most dog adoptions on Thursday.
Shelter staff are initiating quarantine protocols to stop the spread of the disease and begin treating ill dogs, the Prince George’s County Animal Services Facility and Adoption Center (ASFAC) said in a news release.
The announcement comes as a mysterious dog respiratory illness has been spreading across the U.S., shutting down many shelters.
There have been cases of the respiratory illness reported in Maryland in the past two months, but the shelter did not identify the disease spreading through their facility.
“As we are seeing an uptick of this disease strike shelters nationwide, we are acting out of an abundance of caution to help stop the spread of this disease,” said David Fisher, associate director of the Department of Animal Services. “The best place for a dog to be at this time is in a home being watched carefully by their owner.”
The adoption center is still allowing dogs without symptoms to leave the facility if they are being returned to an owner, an adoption is already in process or the pet is being placed with a foster. ASFAC is warning pet owners that these dogs could still possibly be infected.
The disease has not spread to any other animals in the shelter and animal services facility, according to the news release.
Pet owners are urged by ASFAC to “limit visits to dog parks, doggy day cares, groomers and other public spaces where pets have dog-to-dog contact.” It’s also important to make sure your pets have all their vaccinations.
Veterinarians in the D.C. area told WTOP in November 2023 that pet owners should start taking precautions before there were any confirmed cases nearby. They said if your dog starts coughing and then becomes lethargic, loses interest in eating or develops a discharge from its nose that is not clear, then get them to a veterinarian’s office. But take precautions when you do.
“Just like a human hospital during flu season. You don’t want to go to the emergency room unless you absolutely need to,” said Dr. Christine Klippen at Friendship Hospital for Animals in D.C. That’s because of the risk of either spreading the disease to others or picking up an illness while waiting.
Klippen said call ahead. Once you arrive, call from your car and follow the veterinarian’s directions from there.
Dr. Patrick Hilson, with Caring Hands Animal Hospital in Merrifield, agrees. “At Caring Hands, we have a sign on the door that says if your dog is coughing, please do not enter the hospital.”
He said arrangements can be made so that clients can come in while there are no other dogs in the lobby, keeping your pet and other dogs as safe from exposure as much as possible.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
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