Two Dogs Die From 'Strep Zoo' At Cobb Animal Shelter

MARIETTA, GA — Two dogs have died from from an infection known as Streptococcus Zooepidemicus, or Strep Zoo, at a Cobb County animal shelter. Strep Zoo has also been linked to the deaths of two other dogs, and the shelter on Al Bishop Drive has been temporarily closed. Cobb officials said the Atlanta Humane Society has donated 80 crates to temporarily house the animals while the facility is cleaned, a process that will happen at the end of next week.

Workers are giving antibiotic shots to the approximately 200 cats in the shelter, and gave the 150 dogs in the shelter shots on Sunday. It takes about a week for the shots to run their course, officials said.

After the seven-day antibiotic period, a cleaning crew will spend several days doing a deep clean of the entire facility. Veterinarians will monitor the animal population for another week to make sure there are no signs of the disease.

There have been no reports of recently adopted animals getting sick.