Animal shelter in Fort Worth battles canine flu outbreak

Just a month after dealing with a plague outbreak, Fort Worth Animal Care and Control is facing another challenge at one of its shelters. This time it’s the flu virus.

When the dogs at the Silkox Adoption Center in Fort Worth began to show signs of an upper respiratory infection, they suspected canine flu.

Chris McAllister is Assistant Director of Animal Care and Animal Control in Fort Worth. He said the veterinarian on site confirmed this.

“He sort of identified it early, saying he thinks it is what it is,” McAllister said. “And after some PCR tests, we confirmed that he is definitely in shelters.”

That’s where the virus came from. He said the disease was spreading by the hour.

“One morning we came and found 20 sick dogs,” he said. “We’ll have 20 more by the end of the day.”

Today, he says, more than 90% of the dogs in the facility are infected. He reached out to other animal care professionals to get an idea.

“I have spoken to many experts in this field and they tell me that this will burn down your shelters; that means most animals will catch it,” McAllister said.

Veterinarian Christina Minton said canine flu is not as deadly as distemper, but the shelter is still struggling with the way the virus manifests.

“They can be sick for days, have no symptoms, and already spread the flu, and that’s the hardest part about it,” Minton said.

She says tight budgets usually mean shelters face additional challenges.

“The only thing they can try to do is vaccinate every dog ​​on admission, which is an expensive undertaking for them. It’s hard, she said. “It makes it nearly impossible for a scenario to be completely avoided.”

For now, the city of Fort Worth is telling NBC 5 that Silcox will close foster care and adoptions, and all appointments except in emergencies. They will redirect several services to the North Campus for Animals while they try to isolate the dogs and treat the situation.

McAllister said that in some cases they had to euthanize animals after an outbreak of canine flu. He hopes to see a turnaround in the coming weeks.

“With proper care, treatment and isolation, I hope we can return to normal service at Silkox in the next three to four weeks,” he said.

FW Animal Care and Control told us they recently held a decision meeting with over 50 community members and volunteers.

For now, they are asking residents who have to give up their pets to consider alternative options, such as relocating their pets to friends and family. They also asked all residents to ensure that animals receive all vaccinations.