Baldwin Park Animal Care Center Resumes Standard Operations

Following Strep Zoo Outbreak

LOS ANGELES – The LA County Baldwin Park Animal Care Center has resumed standard operations as of Friday, August 23, following a Strep Zoo outbreak caused by the bacterium Streptococcus Equi subspecies zooepidemicus.

Strep Zoo, a bacterium normally found in horses, cattle, and pigs rarely causes disease. However, when it infects immunocompromised dogs, such as those in stressful shelter environments, it can lead to severe pneumonia. This bacterium poses a significant risk to dogs in stressed conditions, with few warning signs and no available vaccine.

Following the outbreak, the LA County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) took swift and decisive measures to control the spread of disease and ensure the safety of all animals, including extensive deep cleaning, rigorous testing and treatment, and diverting intakes to its Carson and Downey Care Centers.

All dogs at the care center have been treated with medication and deep cleaning has been completed, and there had been no new positive cases in the last seven days as of August 22. By reaching these benchmarks, the Care Center was cleared to resume intakes. Adoptions and other community services continued during the outbreak, with the Care Center providing additional counseling to adopters on the signs, symptoms, and treatment of Strep Zoo.

DACC is grateful to the community for their patience and concern as the Department mobilized to protect the health and safety of animals at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center.

About the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC)

DACC is one of the largest animal care and control agencies in the nation, operating seven animal care centers and providing services to more than three million residents and their pets. DACC operates under the nationally recognized Socially Conscious Sheltering model to ensure the best possible outcomes for animals and the community. As a community resource center for pets and owners, DACC protects people and animals from harm, provides care for lost and unwanted animals, reunites lost pets with their families, and strives every day to move closer to its goal of finding a loving home for every adoptable pet that comes through its doors. To learn more about DACC, the resources DACC provides, and view its animals, visit animalcare.lacounty.gov or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. To support DACC’s efforts, please donate to the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation at www.lacountyanimals.org. To learn more about Socially Conscious Sheltering, visit https://scsheltering.org/.