The Pinal County Animal Care and Control (PCACC) has temporarily put the brakes on several dog-centered activities. Citing a confirmed case of the Canine Distemper Virus within its walls, the PCACC made the difficult decision to cease public dog walks, playgroups, and dog-to-dog meet and greets, as noted on their website. While the shelter remains open for other services, introducing new measures is meant to stem the spread that poses a significant threat to the well-being of dogs.
Described as highly contagious and often fatal, Canine Distemper Virus is known to wreak havoc on a dog's respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Acknowledging the severity of this issue, PCACC is revaccinating all shelter dogs and limiting dog contact, while focusing on placing as many animals into foster or adoptive homes as they can. Also, as stated in their announcement, the shelter is now suspending all non-emergency surrenders for the next 10 days to await further diagnostics on the wider canine population at the facility.
To maintain adoption efforts amidst these restrictions, PCACC has improvised with curbside dog-to-human meet and greets to continue pairing their dogs with compatible owners, negating the need for indoor interaction and thereby reducing the chance of contamination. The shelter's initiative to rehome their dogs, particularly the most vulnerable puppies, is accompanied by the provision of necessary medications to adoptive and fostering parties, ensuring ongoing care despite the setback.
Animal owners in the area have been urged to inoculate their pets against distemper as a preventive measure. The PCACC's warning is particularly dire for puppies younger than four months of age and those dogs that have not been vaccinated. Furthermore, the shelter advises dog owners to avoid bringing unvaccinated pets to public spaces where the risk of infection is heightened. A special note was made on avoiding areas where urban wildlife that could be carriers of the virus are likely to be encountered.
For those looking to foster or adopt, or have found stray dogs, PCACC encourages reaching out. They can be contacted through email at [email protected] for fostering, and the shelter continues to emphasize the need for community awareness and preventive action to safeguard against the spread of Canine Distemper Virus among the pet population.
