ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV

"Staff is managing a variety of infections in the shelter, including canine distemper and respiratory infections that have bloomed in the County’s canine population," Pima County officials said in a news release Wednesday evening.

PACC has eight dogs that tested positive for distemper and one has died. Distemper has a 50% death rate for adult dogs and 80% for puppies.

"Exacerbating the issue is a shelter census that’s near 500 dogs, which will be made worse by the upcoming July 4 holiday when the census spikes due to the large number of dogs who run away from home after being spooked by the booming fireworks across the metro area. The limited intake may last beyond Independence Day," the news release said. 

The halt in adoptions, "until animals are confirmed disease free and safe to leave the shelter," also affects PACC's new east-side adoption center at 7225 E. Broadway.

At PACC's shelter, 4000 N. Silverbell Road, isolation shelters are being erected to house groups of dogs suffering from the same or similar illnesses, and dog-to-dog contact is being limited. PACC is testing every animal in the shelter and awaiting results, to aid its quarantine efforts. Because distemper is a virus, vaccination and quarantine are the primary methods to prevent disease spread, the release said. 

“This is an extraordinary action we’re having to take but we believe it is a necessary one to control and resolve the outbreak at the shelter and to ensure that PACC is not a source of disease spread in the community, which would be devastating,� said Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher in the news release. “We’re asking and hoping the community pitches in and helps keep stray pets safe while PACC works through this challenging time. We are doing everything we can to safely take in stray pets and resume adoptions.�

Pima County does not automatically vaccinate dogs for distemper when they come in to PACC, but is reviewing that policy, the news release said. PACC takes in about 16,000 to 18,000 animals a year and would need to identify a funding source to pay for all those vaccinations. 

Lesher asked that anyone with pets double check their yards and fences before July 4 "to help reduce the incidence of frightened, runaway pets during July 4th."

Anyone who has adopted or fostered a dog from PACC in the past three weeks should keep a close eye on the animal for signs of illness. Common symptoms include: Discharge from the eyes and nose, fever, coughing, lethargy, reduced appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. A longer list of symptoms is from PACC. Take an animal showing signs of illness to a veterinarian immediately, PACC urges. 

PACC Director Steve Kozachik is asking people who encounter strays during the period of limited intake to hang onto "those healthy, friendly animals and help look for their owners." Around 70% of PACC’s annual intake are stray dogs who likely have homes. "Many of these dogs are housetrained, know tricks, and sometimes have microchips but the information is not up to date."

If a member of the public finds a friendly, healthy stray dog during this time, Kozachik is encouraging them to check for a tag with a phone number; hang onto the pet to try and find the owner ("statistics show that stray pets are usually found within a mile of their homes"); put up flyers in the area where the dog was found; and talk to neighbors and see if anyone recognizes the dog, the news reles.

“We continue to urge members of the public to rely on neighborhood list serves, Next Door, Petco Love Lost and other social media forms to locate the owner of strays,� Kozachik said in the news release. “Take happy, healthy strays to your local veterinarian, and they can scan it for a microchip. They do not belong in a shelter.�

Staff are also calling people who have recently turned over a stray dog to the shelter whose owner has not been found and asking them to consider fostering the dog.

"For owned pets in which a family has been considering surrendering the pet to PACC, the Pet Support Team is working with folks to determine if PACC can provide resources such as food or medical care to keep the pet with the owner. Depending on the need, Friends of PACC might be able to cover some of the asks like pet food, vaccinations, or microchips," the release said.

As to when shelter animals might be available again for adoption, "We are waiting for test results," PACC said. "Animals that test negative and are vaccinated may be made available for adoption. But it may take at least two weeks or more to safely allow adoptions and fostering." Shelter animals that survive distemper will also eventually be available for adoption.