Screwworms: can Best Friends Animal Society "save them all"?

A recent uptick in New World screwworm detections in Texas and New Mexico has touched off a cascade of animal-health and sheltering consequences — and brought Best Friends Animal Society into an unexpected legislative hearing. On June 18, 2026 Brent Toellner, Best Friends’ senior director of national programs, testified before the Texas House Agriculture & Livestock Committee because statewide quarantine and movement restrictions meant to stop the parasite also block the long-standing practice of transporting animals out of high-intake areas to places with more adoptive homes. Best Friends’ transport strategy has been central to its push to reach a 90% live-release threshold that defines many “no kill” claims. That approach has especially focused on moving pit bull–type dogs from crowded shelters to regions where they are more likely to be adopted. Critics and data cited during coverage note that pit bulls now make up a much larger share of shelter admissions and euthanasias than they did two decades ago, and that dog-related fatalities involving shelter dogs have increased since 2005. The immediate public-health trigger was a June 3, 2026 USDA APHIS report identifying New World screwworm in about a dozen cattle in Texas and New Mexico and in one dog in New Mexico. Officials are still trying to determine how the dog became infected; initial claims that it had traveled out of the country were later questioned after language and record issues at the treating clinic. This appears to be the first U.S. canine screwworm case since a confirmed Old World screwworm case in a Massachusetts dog in 2007. Screwworms lay eggs in open wounds and the larvae consume living tissue, and while cases in dogs and cats are rare they can be severe. State and federal measures have been swift: Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster proclamation covering all 254 counties and the Texas Animal Health Commission imposed quarantines in parts of 13 counties that prohibit moving warm-blooded animals out of affected zones. Some destination states and rescue partners have paused intake of Texas animals — New York and Pennsylvania were reported to have stopped taking animals from the state — and groups report transports already scheduled have been disrupted. Shelters such as the Houston SPCA have intensified fly control and routine parasite screening, while animal-welfare advocates warn that restricted movement could worsen overcrowding and lead to increased euthanasia if animals cannot be relocated; some suggest ramping up local spay/neuter programs to reduce intake pressure. At the federal level, USDA APHIS has mobilized emergency responses including sterile-fly releases and import suspensions, but authorities say a shortfall of sterile flies will limit large-scale releases until a new production facility is ready, possibly next year. The outbreak has also intersected with wider trade and regulatory actions: Canada temporarily banned livestock imports from Texas, the U.S. earlier suspended some Mexican cattle imports, and horse export rules were changed amid political disputes. The FDA has approved nitenpyram for treating screwworm in dogs and cats, and historical responses such as massive sterile-fly releases have successfully ended past outbreaks in Florida. Coverage has also noted broader staffing and budget reductions at APHIS that critics say hampered detection and response capacity. If you want to follow developments or support reporting and advocacy related to this story, the source article included a donation link: www.animals24-7.org/donate. The situation remains fluid: quarantines and transport restrictions are in effect, investigations into the New Mexico dog’s infection continue, and federal and state agencies are balancing livestock protection, wildlife and companion-animal welfare, and the practical challenges facing shelters during the outbreak.