City of Jasper Animal Care & Rescue suspended all canine adoptions on Tuesday due to a system-wide viral outbreak.
Jasper’s animal shelter, which is operated by the Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS), is currently under a Priority-1 status. This recommendation comes from Lindy Alverson, DVM, of the GBHS after an outbreak of H3N2, also known as CIV-Canine Influenza, in the surrounding counties.
The City of Jasper said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that an unspecified number of dogs at the shelter have been exposed to the virus.
Allison Black Cornelius, Chief Executive Officer at GBHS, posted a live video to Facebook earlier this week, addressing the suspension.
“On Friday, we received test results that we have positivity for Canine Influenza Virus in our shelter system,” Cornelius said.
According to GBHS Facebook page, only dangerous, severely injured and dogs seized by local law enforcement are able to be accepted in shelters at this time, as CIV is said to be highly contagious. All infected GBHS animals have experienced mild symptoms and all are said to be responding well to treatment.
Specialized staff members have been selected to take care of all CIV-positive dogs, keeping them quarantined away from the rest of the shelter animals to avoid cross-contamination.
“This is a very serious issue for a shelter because CIV can spread very quickly, can cause illness in dogs and is highly contagious,” Cornelius said. “Most dogs will overcome this illness, but about ten percent of our (canine) population is not expected to survive it.”
Symptoms of CIV include mild fever, runny nose with thick discharge, lethargy, cough with sputum, and lack of appetite. Any dogs adopted in the last week who are experiencing any or all of these symptoms are encouraged to email Shelter Director Stephanie Sullivan at [email protected] for more information on what should be done. Vaccines are also available at your local veterinary office.
While the Priority-1 status is set to last for at least the next six weeks, Cornelius does seem optimistic about the outcome.
“Luckily, Doctor Alverson, who is our Chief Veterinary Officer, is working with Doctor Sinda Crawford at the University of Florida – Doctor Crawford being the one who first discovered CIV in 2004 – to mitigate, manage, and resolve the virus within our shelter system,” she said.
For those seeking more information about symptoms, vaccines, and preventative measures, visit https://www.dogflu.com.
