Maricopa County animal shelter sees outbreak of highly contagious, deadly distemper

A highly contagious canine distemper outbreak at Maricopa County Animal Care and Control has caused its west shelter in Phoenix to close some of its buildings over the weekend.

On July 2, the shelter announced it had several confirmed cases of distemper — a highly contagious and deadly virus — within its west facility. As of Thursday morning, the shelter confirmed 12 positive cases of the disease after testing 100 dogs.

This resulted in a quarantine of dogs in four of the shelter’s buildings and caused a disruption of day-to-day services. The county shelter has also paused dog-to-dog introductions at its Mesa and Phoenix facilities. 

The last outbreak of the disease occurred in June 2019 at the shelter’s Mesa location, causing the shelter to quarantine its animals for nearly one month. During the first two weeks of the quarantine, 40 dogs were euthanized after testing positive or showing severe symptoms. 

The Phoenix location remained open during that quarantine, accepting animals that normally would have been sent to the Mesa shelter.

In this recent outbreak, eight dogs have died from distemper, including seven that were euthanized after showing severe symptoms, said Monica Gery of Maricopa County Animal Care and Control.

The shelter plans to end the quarantine on July 12 but that depends on a number of factors, according to Gery.

"It changes every day," Gery said. "It depends on the testing we're getting back or if another dog shows symptoms in another building. It's a very moving challenge for us."

Extremely contagious and deadly, but preventable

Canine distemper is a highly contagious virus that attacks a dog’s respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous system, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. 

“Distemper is spread very easily,” said Julie Laux of East Side Elves, a nonprofit organization that assists the county shelter with funding. “It can come from a dog barking, sneezing or coughing.” 

Symptoms include discharge from the eyes and nose, as well as fever, lethargy, vomiting and pneumonia. Advanced signs can include convulsions, seizures and paralysis. 

There is no cure because, once contracted, the disease is often fatal in dogs. Those that do survive typically experience permanent damage to their nervous system. 

“It’s not just a shelter or a rescue problem, it’s a community problem,” Laux said. The issue primarily stems from unvaccinated dogs.

“An infected dog could be walking in your greenbelt or in your dog park,” she said. 

Laux said part of the concern is the length of time infected dogs are contagious. This period can last up to four months, even after a dog recovers from the initial symptoms, according to Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

The disease is typically prevented through immunization, but dogs can still contract it if they experience gaps in vaccinations or come into contact with infected domestic or wild animals.

An opportunity to help dogs in need

Maricopa County Animal Care and Control’s west shelter enacted a strict quarantine over dozens of dogs that may have been exposed to or have shown symptoms of distemper. According to Laux, dogs under these quarantine orders are not able to leave their kennels.

Administering the test is a pricey endeavor. According to Gery, each test costs approximately $78 per dog and lab results can take a few days to return. 

Because of the price, Laux’s East Side Elves donated $5,000 to help cover the cost of tests. Several other nonprofit organizations, such as One Love Pitbull Foundation and Follow Your Heart Animal Rescue, also donated money to assist in covering expenses. 

However, the cost of the test isn’t the only issue the county shelter has seen. With the recent increase in intake numbers following the Fourth of July weekend, most dogs are under strict quarantine orders. 

"It's really at an unfortunate time because our July Fourth intake skyrocketed," Gery said. "Even up until Wednesday, we've had an intake of about 85 dogs per day."

Maricopa County Animal Care and Control had approximately 500 dogs in its shelters as of Thursday morning. This has stretched resources thin and placed a strain on employees. 

"It creates a more stressful environment and extra work," Gery said. "Extra cleaning, using PPE when going into the buildings and needing more donations."

According to Gery, these dogs have been quarantined for at least one week and are unable to leave their kennels until the quarantine ends in order to prevent possibly spreading the disease. This means their interactions with other dogs and even humans are severely limited. 

Adoption and fostering dogs are one of the shelter's primary concerns.

"We need to get the healthy dogs out of here so they are not exposed," she said. "We will test those dogs prior to being released."

Gery added that most blankets, toys and other items that may have been contaminated were thrown away.

Because of this, the county shelter has requested an increased need for enrichment items. 

“They need sturdy toys, chew toys, bully sticks,” Laux said. “These enrichment toys and long-chew treats keep them busy so they aren’t quite so bored in their kennels.” 

Both Laux and Gery suggested that community members can help the shelter by making a tax-deductible donation or purchasing enrichment items from its Amazon wish list. 

Reach breaking news reporter Monica D. Spencer at monica.spencer@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @monicadspencer.

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