Pima County Animal Care Center is looking for short-term foster families for some of its dogs so that staff can fight a potentially fatal canine disease, officials said.
All dogs in the shelter have been placed on preventative antibiotics and additional steps are being taken to prevent the spread of "strep zoo" throughout the shelter, Mark Evans, a county spokesman, said in a news release.
Shelter staff discovered strep zoo in one of its deceased dogs, who previously showed no signs of infection, the release said.
Strep zoo is highly contagious in shelter settings and can be fatal if not treated quickly. The bacteria that causes strep zoo is usually found in horses, cattle, pigs and guinea pigs, but doesn't manifest into the disease in these animals. If a dog comes into contact with the bacteria, it can cause severe and deadly pneumonia. Signs of infection include fever, depression, cough, discharge from the nose and blood coming from the dog's mouth, the release said.
The deceased dog that tested positive for strep zoo was one of six brought into the shelter the week before, from a rural area with exposure to a donkey, according to the release.
The remaining five dogs have been placed in pet-free foster homes. Another dog who has begun showing possible symptoms of the disease after being housed near the infected dog has been isolated, the release said.
All shelter dogs will continue to receive prophylactic antibiotics to eliminate the bacteria and all treated dogs will undergo a 14-day observation and testing period to make sure they're not contagious or ill, the release said.
PACC is looking for foster parents to provide temporary homes for incoming adult dogs and dogs that have completed antibiotic treatment. The shelter is seeking two-week foster commitments, which will allow staff to create space at the shelter and contain the disease, the release said.
Anyone interested in fostering an adult dog should email PACC's foster coordinators atΒ pacc.foster@pima.gov.Β Β
Adoptions will continue at the shelter as normal, but all adopters will receive prophylactic antibiotics to continue treatment at home, according to the release.
PACC is dealing with crowded conditions in the shelter, with about 350 dogs in its care. Strep zoo is most commonly seen in shelters with a high density of animals and because there's no vaccine and few warning signs, the disease can spread quickly if not treated, the release said.
PACC is consulting with national experts on infection shelter disease and has created a treatment and prevention plan, according to the release.
βThis disease shows up from the community periodically, and like other infectious illnesses, we treat is as especially critical once the general population is exposed,β said PACC Director Kristen Auerbach. βWe are taking every measure to ensure that our population remains healthy while they wait for their permanent homes.β
PACC will always be susceptible to the occasional infectious disease, since it's an open-admission shelter. Once the second phase of shelter construction is completed this summer, its ability to fight disease outbreaks will improve, according to the release.
The Humane Society of Southern Arizona is assisting PACC with some dog surrenders who have been deferred from the shelter.
In November 2016, PACC was forced to suspend voluntary pet surrenders for several days after a strep zoo outbreak killed four dogs and sickened several others.
