HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — Citrus County Animal Services has suspended all dog intakes until further notice.
Employees at the shelter have isolated dozens of dogs after they contracted an upper respiratory virus.
Dr. Meaghan Mielo, the chief veterinarian at the animal shelter, said locally and nationally, there is an increase in upper respiratory disease in dogs seen by private veterinarians and shelters.
Affected dogs must stay isolated for 14 days. This disease is also circulating in the community, so it is extremely important to keep dogs away from public areas for at least two weeks. Public areas include the store, the park, and even your neighbor’s yard.
"There are private vets in our area that are also seeing a lot of upper respiratory disease in dogs so it’s definitely smart right now to keep your dogs isolated as much as possible just while this runs its course," said Dr. Meaghan Mielo.
"This is not just a shelter issue. We are seeing this disease in dogs all over our county. It’s something that vets are able to treat, but not prevent with a vaccine."
The animal shelter has moved all cats to employee break rooms and offices. Employees have separated sick dogs from healthy dogs. Dr. Mielo said she does not believe the virus can be passed to humans or cats.
"We're just not finding one virus that all of them have, so it doesn’t make sense because obviously, it's one thing that’s spreading through all of our dogs, so our theory is right now its canine pneumovirus, but it may be like a variant of the virus that’s just not being picked on the tests that we have available to us right now," said Dr. Mielo.
Because there is no vaccine available, the only response is to isolate potentially sick and exposed animals to prevent the spread.
During this time, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Officers cannot pick up lost/stray dogs. People who find stray dogs are urged to help reunite with their owners.
The shelter provides crates, food, and other necessary supplies for those willing to help temporarily home the lost/stray dogs.
If you locate a lost pet, email Colleen.Yarbrough@citrusbocc.com with a detailed description and photo, along with information about where the animal went missing. Staff will still work to match lost and found dogs without taking them into the shelter environment.
Pinellas County Animal Services has resumed all operations beginning Wednesday, January 18. Officials said all dogs have recovered after treatment for canine pneumovirus. The dog areas have been sanitized and both intake and adoptions have resumed. Adoption fees are waived until January 31.
