The Pima Animal Care Center is limiting intake for one week due to an increase in infectious diseases among dogs.
Due to a recent surge of incoming dogs with contagious diseases, PACC is moving to emergency-only intake operations from June 3 through June 10 in hopes of managing the surge and preventing the spread, a news release said.
The closure comes at the advice of PACC’s Director of Veterinary Sciences, Dr. Jennifer Wilcox.
It will allow for a “clean break” between dogs exposed to disease and incoming dogs, the news release said.
“Diseased dogs coming into PACC are overwhelmingly unvaccinated,” Wilcox said in the news release. “This puts all the dogs in our care, particularly those who are stressed, at serious risk of illness. Creating what is called a ‘clean break’ is the only way we can sufficiently contain disease and prevent euthanizing otherwise adoptable pets.”
During this emergency intake period, the shelter will only accept pets in medical distress, pets who pose a public safety risk and any situation involving an injury to a human or animal.
Last month, PACC announced that it was seeing increased distemper coming into the shelter. Since then, the medical team has treated several residential dogs with pneumovirus, which is an infection that allows diseases such as strep zoo or distemper to manifest.
The best way for people to protect their pets and pets across the county is to make sure they are kept-up-to date on vaccines, Monica Dangler, the director of animal services said.
“We know that Pima County residents care deeply about dogs both at PACC and in the community,” Dangler said in a news release. “We are hoping that the community comes forward to foster, adopt, keep pets in their homes and communities, and vaccinate to help us keep dogs across the county safe.”
Adoptions and foster services will remain available for dogs currently at the shelter during the closure. PACC will offer anyone who takes home a dog this week free microchips and canine vaccines for their dogs at home.
For more information on PACC or what to do if you find a stray dog, visit the shelter’s website.
