Georgetown Animal Shelter contains distemper virus, returns to normal operations

The Georgetown Animal Shelter, 110 Walden Drive, has resumed normal operations after limiting positive distemper cases to a single canine. Test results for the other 26 dogs currently in the Shelter’s care came back negative Monday, Aug. 28. The original canine who tested positive for distemper remains in isolation and continues to show signs of improvement. Shelter staff remain optimistic the dog will make a full recovery.

“Limiting the spread of such a contagious virus to the original dog who tested positive is an incredible testament to our shelter staff, who immediately put safety and cleaning protocols in place, and to our community, who immediately responded to our plea for fosters,” Animal Services Manager April Haughey said.

Within four days of the call for fosters, seven of the 15 healthy dogs were fostered or adopted out of the shelter. Residents who are fostering dogs are being asked to keep them for up to two weeks, to give staff time to catch up on surgeries and other tasks.

The shelter is resuming normal operations. People interested in adopting or fostering can view adoptable pets here. While walk-ins are welcome during operating hours, residents are encouraged to schedule an appointment ahead of time by calling 512-930-3592 or emailing animalsvc@georgetown.org.

The most important action the community can take to mitigating the spread of distemper is to fully vaccinate dogs. Dog owners are encouraged to reach out to their veterinarians to confirm vaccination status. The shelter is expanding its vaccine protocols to provide distemper boosters puppies every two weeks until six months of age. The shelter will continue to administer the distemper vaccine upon intake and a booster at two weeks for all new adult intakes

Read background on the shelter’s response and more about distemper virus here