Lancaster Animal Shelter closed after virus kills 2 dogs

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — The Lancaster Animal Shelter has been shut down for the past two weeks because of a deadly virus, officials told Channel 9 Wednesday morning.

The virus, which officials said is likely distemper, has already killed two dogs, and no pets are being taken in or adopted out.

A necropsy performed Wednesday morning in Monroe confirmed distemper in one dog.

Shelter officials told Channel 9 that they began receiving calls about a month ago from people who had adopted dogs, calling to tell them that the animals were sick.

Lancaster County officials said the shelter has been cleaned but is still under quarantine. The floors have been sealed with epoxy to prevent further contamination.

"We stopped this a whole lot quicker. It could've been a whole lot worse,” said shelter manager Alan Williams.

For the past two weeks, staff has had to use a Porta-John outside as their restroom. Office furniture, desks and chairs are piled outside as well.

Employees also change clothes each night when they leave work, so there is no way to further spread the virus.

The shelter houses about 30 dogs and 25 cats, and officials said no felines were showing signs of infection.

No animals in the county are being picked up by Animal Control officers, because there is no place to house them.

Williams said the shelter could reopen next week since one test came back positive for distemper, but it's not clear yet for sure.

Distemper is an incurable airborne respiratory illness that causes breathing and nervous system problems. An infected animal can take up to three months to show symptoms.

If the virus can't be controlled soon, Willis said there is a worst-case scenario.

"We have had one vet that said it could be a possibility,” Willis said. “We may have to euthanize everything there."

Animal control officers aren't even picking up strays unless they are dangerous.

"We want to make sure we are taking care of it and doing everything we can now," he said. "We're not going to leave the public at risk for a dangerous dog running around loose."

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