ROSWELL, N.M. – Roswell Animal Services is warning pet owners about distemper cases throughout the community.

Distemper is usually in the summer months when it’s hot out. But Roswell Animal Services was forced to temporarily close their facility earlier this month after they found distemper within multiple dogs at the shelter. They’ve confirmed more cases, this time within in the community.

The City of Roswell is now stepping in and temporarily closing the dog park next to Wool Bowl.

KOB 4 spoke to a nonprofit animal shelter in Roswell. They say while vaccines aren’t a guarantee your dog won’t get distemper, they will help with reducing the spread and the level of symptoms, which they say are spreading quickly.

“Distemper is very contagious, just like parvo is. It’s airborne, it’s transferred through air, sneezing, coughing, distemper starts out as respiratory and then turns into neurological, and it goes to where the body shuts down,” said Krystle Noble, kennel manager of Roswell Human Society. 

Noble says some of the symptoms can be a lack of appetite, no energy, coughing, vomiting, seizure-like symptoms and having running eyes and nose. 

“Distemper can be treated if an animal’s immune system is strong enough to handle the treatment. But they will always have, a side effect, like an everlasting twitch about them. Something just won’t be right because it affects their neurological brain,” said Noble. 

Noble says it’s important to get your dogs vaccinated. She says in the end, it’s less expensive to get the vaccinations rather than having to pay for treatment or having to put your dog down.