Front Street Animal Shelter halts intake of healthy dogs over contagious disease
Two dogs at the Front Street Animal Shelter have tested positive for a highly contagious disease. The shelter is temporarily pausing the intake of healthy stray dogs in order to control the spread of the bacterium infection, according to a news release from Front Street Animal Shelter.
There have been two confirmed cases of Streptococcus zooepidemicus.
Strep zoo is a bacterial infection and can fatal to the animals. The bacterium can cause rapidly progressive and severe respiratory disease, which spreads quickly and causes a high rate of serious illness and death.
The animal intake pause is expected to last one to two weeks as the shelter attempts to control the spread of the infection.
“Not only to protect the incoming dogs from being placed at risk, but also to create a ‘clean break’ so the disease can be eradicated without new animals being introduced,” said Philip Zimmerman, manager at Front Street Animal Shelter, in a statement.
The shelter is currently collaborating with staff from the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, which has extensively studied the disease and provided counseling to other shelters, according to shelter officials. And newly adopted dogs will be provided 10 days of medical support if strep zoo complications occur.
All dogs in the shelter are receiving antibiotics to significantly decrease their chances of developing symptoms, according to the news release.
Front Street Animal Shelter is asking community members who find healthy stray dogs to locate the owner using resources available at the city’s website, according to the shelter’s website. If residents are unable to find the owner of any stray dogs they are encouraged to keep them and consider becoming a foster volunteer. The shelter can provide food, vaccines, supplies, medical care and other support for the finders.
Zimmerman said the shelter hasn’t had any fatalities due to the disease thanks to the quick and effective action of the staff and the support of the public.
Adoptions will remain open as it is the quickest way to “eliminate the disease” by reducing the population density, according to the news release.
