Screwworm response halts Texas shelter adoptions, raises euthanasia risk

States restrict pet movements from infested Texas areas

Adoptions are on hold for thousands of dogs and cats in Texas shelters, potentially putting the animals at risk of being euthanized, because of efforts to stop the spread of the New World screwworm. The pause stems from movement restrictions imposed across most of the country to slow the parasite’s advance.

The flesh-eating parasite crossed the border from Mexico into the United States for the first time in 60 years. The screwworm is an insect, and its return marks the first confirmed reappearance north of the border in more than half a century.

The parasite threatens the nation’s $113 billion beef industry. Federal officials responded by closing the U.S.-Mexico border to cattle movements, a step aimed at containing the outbreak in livestock before the parasite can spread further into American herds.

Because the screwworm also infects pets, most states have restricted the movement of animals from infested areas of Texas. The restrictions apply to companion animals leaving the affected regions, reaching beyond the cattle-focused border closure.

Texas shelters rely on adoptions to other regions of the country to manage their animal populations. With those interstate transfers restricted, the facilities face crowded conditions and fewer options for placing the dogs and cats in their care.

“It’s thrown a wrench into things, for small rescues as well as the bigger shelters,” said Mia Bendixsen, executive director of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, which promotes animal welfare laws.

Bendixsen’s organization focuses on legislative work for animal welfare, and she said the impact has been felt across the rescue network. The disruption comes as both small rescue groups and larger shelters absorb animals they cannot move out of Texas.

Thousands of dogs and cats already in Texas shelter care are affected by the adoption pause. With placement options limited and kennels filling, the risk of euthanasia for animals that lack adoption routes out of the state is greater than it would be with functioning interstate transfers.

The New World screwworm outbreak has triggered both the cattle border closure and the broader restrictions on animal movement from infested Texas areas. The containment measures designed to protect American livestock have, in their application to companion animals, reshaped the adoption pipeline Texas shelters depend on.