Animal shelter stays shut during outbreak

SPRINGDALE — The animal shelter in Springdale remains closed after an outbreak of distemper last week.

Courtney Kremer, director of animal services for the city, said the shelter will remain closed until test results come back.

“We’re waiting to find out which direction to go,” she said.

The shelter housed about 45 dogs last week. All dogs at the shelter at the time of the outbreak have been receiving antibiotics and close monitoring, Kremer said. Shelter staff members immediately vaccinated incoming dogs, which Kremer said is part of the normal operation at the shelter. Those dogs spent the week in the city’s public works building next to the shelter to limit their risk of exposure.

Staff members kept sheltered dogs in kennels to keep them separated from sick dogs. Dogs that seemed to be at low risk for distemper were housed together.

Staff members disinfected kennels and other surfaces in the shelter last week after it closed.

The first dog to show signs of the disease was a stray puppy taken to the shelter by a resident. One of the final stages of the disease induces facial seizures, and the puppy suffered those, Kremer said.

A second dog showed signs of distemper and was “sicker than all the others,” Kremer said.

Dogs infected with distemper easily can pass the virus through their respiratory systems, said Kate Williams of St. Francis Animal Hospital in Springdale, representing the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Springdale voters approved a $5.2 million bond project in 2018 to build an animal shelter, which is currently in the design phase. The facility will have an isolated containment area for preventive care of arriving animals, according to the release.