By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Pima Animal Care Center is seeing an outbreak of several canine diseases, including distemper.
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PACC said eight dogs have tested positive for distemper and one has died. The outbreak has caused adoptions to be paused until the animals are confirmed to be disease-free.
“We don’t feel comfortable putting dogs out into the community right now until we do our own internal testing,” said PACC Director Steve Kozachik.
The outbreak has also forced PACC to limit the intake of animals to only those who are a risk to the public. Kozachik said they also put a halt to euthanasia until the problem can be resolved, and dogs can get adopted again.
PACC said it is managing the spread by quarantining groups of dogs.
“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,” Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher said.
Distemper has a 50% death rate for adult dogs and 80% for puppies. PACC said that because it is a virus, vaccination and quarantine are the primary methods to prevent the spread.
Eastside Adoption Center to reopen
Adoptions will resume at PACC’s Eastside Adoptions Center on Saturday, June 20, but will still be on hold at its main facility on Silverbell.
EPAC, located at 7225 East Broadway Boulevard, is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays; noon to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays; and 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
PACC said EPAC will have around 20 dogs and a half-dozen or so cats and kittens available for adoption.
“None of the dogs are shedding any virus, and all of them show a high level of immunity,” PACC said in a release. “The cats are not affected by canine distemper.”
PACC said that as dogs at the Silverbell location test free of distemper and other diseases, they will be transported to EPAC and available for adoption.
“We should begin to get those results the first part of next week,” said PACC Director Steve Kozachik. “With that information, we will be able to relocate the fully protected/fully safe dogs into one pod of kennels and make them available to the public, even while we continue to triage the rest of the shelter.”
Distemper is highly contagious
Veterinarian Saman Partow Navid said PACC is making the right move by quarantining dogs, given distemper’s fatality rates.
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He said the best way to prevent infection is through vaccines, but stray dogs are less likely to be vaccinated and more likely to be exposed to the disease.
“When wildlife, such as coyotes, do run into our stray pets and spread it, and the disease can go on not necessarily showing a whole lot of symptoms initially and then can be spread amongst the population in a shelter that’s not vaccinated as well,” said Dr. Partow Navid.
By limiting intake as well, Partow Navid said they can help stop the spread to dog populations outside of the shelter.
“Populations of pets in areas that are not high vaccinated areas, it’s really easy to spread in households, and if your dog goes to a pet park where other animals are not vaccinated, it can easily spread there,” he said.
PACC urges caution ahead of July 4
Kozachik is urging people to hold on to any healthy stray dogs they encounter and make sure their yards are protected ahead of the July 4 holiday, which he said often leads to an intake spike as dogs run away from home because of fireworks.
He doesn’t know whether PACC will reopen intake by the Fourth, but he said they’re doing everything they can to make it happen.
“As soon as we can, we’re going to be opening PACC back up for those parts of the shelter where we have the fully protected dogs that are going to be safe going into people’s homes,” Kozachik said.
Signs and symptoms
PACC said that anyone who has fostered or adopted a dog from their facility in the last three weeks should check their dogs for signs.
Common symptoms include:
- Discharge from the eyes and nose
- Fever
- Coughing
- Lethargy
- Reduced appetite
- Vomitting
- Diarrhea
Other symptoms include:
- Walking in circles
- Head tilt
- Lack of coordination
- Muscle twitches
- Convulsions
- Seizures
- Partial or complete paralysis
PACC has asked the public to take in strays they encounter during limited intake.
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