The Cobb County Animal Services shelter is now fully reopened after animals were quarantined and treated for a contagious illness, “strep zoo.”
After one dog tested positive for the illness, the shelter closed for two weeks while staff treated the animals with antibiotics. The illness was quickly contained, and no other animals have displayed symptoms, county officials said in a statement.
When staff identified the sick dog’s symptoms, they placed the shelter under a partial quarantine to prevent the spread of the illness. The shelter dealt with prior outbreaks in 2019 and 2020 when a few animals died.
Strep zoo is a contagious bacterial infection affecting the respiratory system and “has become a common problem in shelters,” the county statement said.
The shelter is now open for normal business hours.
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