AUSTIN, Texas — Animal shelters in Texas are beginning to worry about the growing New World screwworm infestation.
Of the 12 confirmed screwworm cases across the country, 11 are in Texas. Austin Pets Alive!, a local nonprofit animal shelter, has been redesigning its system after Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster in response to the growing infestations. The organization worries it will soon exhaust its resources in trying to combat the flesh-eating parasite.
Ellen Jefferson, a veterinarian and CEO of Austin Pets Alive!, said she suspects the infestation will become worse than it already is.
“Because any warm-blooded animal can be a host, it will be replicating in squirrels and deer and everything, including dogs, cats and humans. So, we’ve got a problem that is unquantifiable,” she said. “I would not be shocked if our entire state is an infested zone very quickly.”
Ellen Jefferson, CEO of Austin Pets Alive!
Jefferson said many animals in shelters across the state will be at risk of immediate euthanasia if action is not taken soon. She said there are three major obstacles in stopping the screwworm infestation.
The first problem is the ban on Texan shelter animals by other states, she said. Between 20,000 and 40,000 animals are transported out of Texas every year to shelters in other states to receive life-saving care. Florida, New York and Pennsylvania recently banned all shelter animals from Texas, which Jefferson said may cause a domino effect of bans across the country.
“So, the very first thing we’re doing is trying to get all those national organizations to immediately reach out to state offices, and get a reasonable precaution put into place as opposed to a complete ban,” Jefferson said.
Animals will begin dying if more bans prevent them from being transported for care, she said.
Two shelter cats from Austin Pets Alive!
The second problem is the accessibility of screwworm medication. The medicine is FDA-approved and classified as a “controlled substance” that cannot be administered by anyone other than a licensed veterinarian.
However, most shelters don’t have vets, Jefferson said.
“They really need the governor’s authority to be able to treat the animals in their care with the medications,” she said. “That is something only the governor can order during the emergency disaster response.”
The last problem is that health inspectors need to be either a professional veterinary technician, emergency personnel or an animal control officer to sign off on an animal’s transport.
“If none of those people are interacting with the shelter, and they don’t have access to the medication, then they can’t get the animals out in a timely manner,” Jefferson said.
Veterinarian at Austin Pets Alive!
Austin Pets Alive! has been working to redesign its intake, medical and transport systems as well as raising awareness with other national animal welfare agencies. The organization hopes that instead of blanket bans nationwide, the country can reach a “certificate-based transport approach that keeps movement safe without cutting off thousands of dogs and cats from their only path out of overcrowded shelters,” according to its statement.
But as a local organization, Austin Pets Alive! needs all the help it can get. The screwworm preventatives cost about $14 a dose, and they’ve already ordered 5,000 doses up front. That has cost them about $70,000 so far, and the cost will multiply quickly across a growing population of animals.
“We need transformational gifts now,” Jefferson said. “We are rapidly trying to figure out how to do this. And we’re small — we don’t have the ability to just do it, so all of it is dependent on funding.”