Animal Shelter Still Closed: Sick Dogs Appear to Have Pneumonia

The Gwinnett County Animal Shelter remained closed Monday as authorities continued to investigate what killed one dog and sickened several others late last week.

But a Gwinnett Police spokesman also said the animals have responded well to treatment and their health is “rapidly improving.”

Gwinnett PD Cpl. Deon Washington said Monday afternoon that testing by the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine indicated the dogs may be suffering from pneumonia. Four more dogs showed mild symptoms of sickness overnight, bringing the total number of sick dogs to 23.

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All of the animals reportedly had mild symptoms as of Monday evening.

“The cause of the pneumonia is unknown at this point,” Washington said in a emailed press update. “The shelter is awaiting results on lab cultures to confirm what the initial sickness was that caused the pneumonia. There is no time frame for when these results will be provided by UGA to the shelter.”

The shelter has been closed since Friday, when the illness was detected. The shelter continues to consult with four different veterinarians who are in constant contact with each other almost hourly, Washington said.

The spokesman said a longer-term secondary shelter has been secured and will be opened to the public soon. Once open, all routine shelter operations will transfer to the secondary facility, including owner reclaims and pet adoptions after April 10, he said.

“The primary facility will remain closed, as all animals inside are still being treated,” Washington said. “At this time, it is not known how much longer the main facility will be closed.”