Roswell officials, vets and volunteers respond to canine distemper outbreak; volunteers press for sustained shelter funding

Local veterinarians, Roswell animal‑services staff and volunteers described an active canine distemper outbreak affecting owned and stray dogs and urged coordinated vaccination, testing and public education efforts.

Dr. Walker (veterinarian) told the council the strain detected in recent tests is part of the ‘‘America‑3’’ lineage and that sequencing showed multiple positive animals. He said one dog in clinic had such severe neurologic signs it was euthanized; other dogs tested positive but were recovering. Dr. Walker recommended annual vaccination (modified‑live virus) during the outbreak period rather than the longer intervals some vaccine schedules use. He said the reservoir for the virus is wild animals, especially foxes, and that stray/wild populations are a continuing source of exposure.

Animal‑services staff (Chantelle/Shailene) reported the shelter is under quarantine and taking intake only for transfers and rescues; staff described deep cleaning and limited capacity for new animals while exposed dogs are isolated. Staff said one dog may remain in quarantine for about a month and that the shelter lacks sufficient separate quarantine space, which complicates intake.

A volunteer who said her clinic had ordered PCR respiratory panels from IDEXX reported results for tests run since November 2024: "a total of 176 tests," she said, with “101 of the 176 tests” positive for pathogens identified in the full respiratory panels and reported approximately 25 confirmed deaths among dogs handled by the shelter and rescue partners; she said the shelter’s testing costs exceeded $26,000 (testing only), excluding hospitalization and boarding. (Transcript contained multiple numeric references; volunteers and staff asked the city to confirm and coordinate test‑result reporting.)

Volunteers urged renewed city support for the community‑cat program. A volunteer said Best Friends work previously helped the shelter upgrade practices and start community programs; volunteers reported that after Best Friends departed some funding was not sustained. Volunteers requested that the city commit modest, recurring funding (volunteers estimated a small five‑figure amount) to continue TNVR/TNDR services rather than returning to higher euthanasia rates.

Council members and staff discussed public education efforts, including using the city water bill as a communication channel and holding vaccination or vaccine‑clinic events. Animal‑services staff and veterinarians said mass vaccination clinics require careful planning during a distemper outbreak (to avoid congregating sick animals) and suggested different models (targeted mobile clinics, door‑to‑door vaccination drives and prioritized outreach to neighborhoods with unvaccinated animals).

Several council members praised the animal‑services staff and local veterinarians for work during the outbreak and asked staff to pursue grants and fundraising; staff said they had applied for grants (low‑cost spay/neuter and other programs) and are willing to coordinate volunteer transport to veterinary clinics for TNDR work. Staff and volunteers also asked the council to consider restricted donations and a clearer accounting mechanism to ensure donated funds intended for the shelter are used for shelter programs (volunteers raised a past example of a donation that was returned after administrative delays).