BARC, the City of Houston's Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, has announced they will temporarily suspend public dog intake appointments for the next few weeks after a shelter animal tested positive for distemper.
Officials said while public intake is temporarily suspended, BARC remains open for all other services. Throughout this period, BARC will continue to accept sick, injured, or fading animals, and Animal Enforcement Officers will continue to respond to calls for service at this time. Cat intake appointments will also continue to be available.
BARC says they will reschedule existing intake appointments once all animals under observation receive negative test results for distemper. On Thursday, February 23, BARC medical staff immediately tested a dog on property after it showed signs of distemper, and per a BARC veterinarian's direction, immediately euthanized the dog to prevent the spread of disease to other shelter animals.
The veterinarian’s assessment was confirmed days later as the shelter received a positive distemper test result for the animal. BARC immediately implemented its distemper protocol last week by isolating any dogs that were at high risk for exposure and notifying all rescue, foster, and volunteer partners. BARC has isolated the dogs that have been exposed and is waiting on test results to determine if additional precautions need to be taken.
Officials said distemper is an ever-present concern in communities with large populations of stray animals and affects certain mammals, excluding humans and cats. Distemper symptoms may include thick nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing and, in severe cases, may affect the neurological system, causing seizures, tremors, and death.Individuals who have adopted dogs from BARC that show potential symptoms are encouraged to contact the shelter for free medical treatment.
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