‘Strep zoo’ outbreak forces Stockton Animal Shelter to close for two weeks

The Stockton Animal Shelter has closed for two weeks after the discovery of a highly contagious and often fatal disease for dogs in the shelter.

The bacterial illness, streptococcus zooepidemicus or “strep zoo,” is an infection that causes bleeding into the lungs, according to the National Library of Medicine. Symptoms come on suddenly with fever, difficulty breathing and bloody nose.