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.

About the Author

Keep Reading

(2023 file photo) Fort Gordon, near Augusta, Georgia, was renamed as Fort Eisenhower in 2023. Could it be switched back to Fort Gordon? (Hyosub Shin/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Featured

State Rep. Kimberly New, R-Villa Rica, stands in the House of Representatives during Crossover Day at the Capitol in Atlanta on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC