Two dogs test positive for potentially lethal ‘strep zoo’

Ozaukee humane society office stops taking dogs

Two dogs have tested positive for a respiratory illness called “strep zoo” at the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Ozaukee campus.

The Wisconsin Humane Society is investigating the source of the bacteria and temporarily stopping the intake of dogs surrendered from the public, as well as transferring dogs to other shelters.

“We want to reassure the public this is not an outbreak, and there’s no need for concern” for pets, said Wisconsin Humane Society spokeswoman Angela Speed.

There is some evidence that the illness, though rare, could be transmitted from dogs to humans.

Wisconsin Humane Society veterinary staff is consulting with infectious disease experts at the University of Wisconsin and other shelters that have experience with strep zoo.

Strep zoo is believed to be spread through the air, contact with bodily fluids and contaminated surfaces. Symptoms usually are sudden and include coughing, nasal discharge, vomiting, labored breathing and coughing blood. It’s different from dog flu and canine cough.

The two dogs that tested positive, an 11-year-old Pomeranian surrendered by a family and a 1-year-old Shepherd mix, were euthanized Wednesday. The Pomeranian was surrendered at the Milwaukee campus of the Humane Society and later transferred to Ozaukee.

The Pomeranian and Shepherd mix were housed in the same ward at Ozaukee and when they got sick a few weeks ago, they were put in an isolation unit and treated with oral antibiotics but did not respond to treatment. Suspecting something else was wrong, veterinarians performed more tests and Wednesday morning learned it was strep zoo, said Nancy Weiss, senior director of veterinary services at the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee.

There’s no evidence of exposure to strep zoo by dogs at the Racine, Green Bay or Door County campuses.

Now that the Milwaukee and Ozaukee campuses of the Humane Society have stopped taking dogs surrendered by the public, officials are encouraging people to wait a few weeks to surrender a dog or take them to the Racine and Green Bay campuses.

There’s no vaccine to prevent strep zoo, but if caught early, it’s usually treatable with antibiotics. It’s more likely to spread in animal shelters because of the large number of dogs living close to each other.

Since cats and dogs are separated at the Wisconsin Humane Society, the risk of transmission to cats is low.

These are the first cases of strep zoo for animals at the Wisconsin Humane Society. In 2008 the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County (HAWS) stopped taking in dogs for a few weeks after seven died and another 10 dogs showed signs of the same illness.

The first recorded outbreak was at a Las Vegas shelter where as many as a dozen dogs a day died during a span from late 2006 until the illness was diagnosed in February 2007. That was followed by another outbreak in early 2008 in a Miami shelter where a dozen dogs died.