On Thursday, June 25, an APS dog in the shelter tested positive for canine distemper during a routine surveillance screening. We immediately isolated the dog and began implementing enhanced safety protocols. Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily paused most of our dog services (e.g., adoptions, routine intakes).
What is canine distemper?
Canine distemper is a highly contagious viral disease that affects dogs and can impact the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. The virus spreads through direct contact with an infected dog or contaminated environment. Vaccination is the best protection against canine distemper.
Signs & symptoms of canine distemper
- Eye or nose discharge
- Coughing
- Fever
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Difficulty walking or loss of coordination
- Muscle twitching or seizures
Canine distemper is a serious illness. If your dog is showing any of the above symptoms, please contact your veterinarian immediately.
Recent dog adoptions from APS
If you have adopted a dog from the shelter since June 18 and they are exhibiting any of the above symptoms, please take them to your veterinarian as soon as possible and email [email protected]. As we continue our investigation into the issue, it is extremely helpful if we know that other dogs were exposed.
Please do not bring the dog to the shelter. Once dogs are adopted, we are no longer able to treat them as we are not licensed as a clinic.
APS response
To protect the health and well-being of pets in our care, we have:
- Implemented isolation protocols
- Broadly expanded our testing efforts
- Increased regular monitoring of dogs in the shelter
- Enhanced our cleaning and sanitation efforts
We are also consulting with recognized experts in canine distemper to ensure that our ongoing response aligns with best practices in the field. Our veterinary and operations teams are prioritizing the care of every animal in the shelter.
How YOU can help
The health and well-being of all the pets in our care remains our top priority. As we continue our expanded monitoring, testing, and treatment efforts, your support helps provide critical medical care for animals who need it most.
Your donation to the APS Healthy Shelter Fund helps us cover:
- Specialized care for sick and injured animals
- Diagnostic testing
- Medical treatment
- Vaccinations
In the context of what we’re currently facing, for example, we are administering high sensitivity, high specificity PCR tests to the dogs in the shelter. These are the gold standard for early detection and to distinguish among illnesses with similar symptoms. But they’re also expensive — each test costs $82. Thank you for your support!
