Tampa Bay shelters hit hard by dog flu

• Pasco County Animal Services took the same drastic steps early this month after confirming the virus among its dog population.

What they're saying: "I wouldn't wish this on anybody," Humane Society of Tampa Bay CEO Sherry Silk said.

The big picture: Further complicating the issue is that each shelter was over capacity, a problem that has plagued animal rescues across the state and country.

• Adoptions set records in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic but have since lagged as intakes have climbed, University of Florida clinical professor of shelter medicine Cynda Crawford told Axios.
• Dogs in particular are also staying in shelters longer, creating a "perfect storm for disease to come in," she said.

The intrigue: While it's unclear why more people are surrendering their pets or declining to adopt new ones, Crawford said economic conditions like inflation and rising housing costs likely play a part.

Zoom in: Canine influenza is unpredictable and highly contagious among dogs, making outbreaks difficult to foresee and contain, according to Crawford, who was on a team of veterinarians who discovered the virus two decades ago.

• While symptoms are generally manageable, the virus can cause pneumonia, which can lead to more severe health impacts or death, Crawford said.
• Indeed, five dogs have died in local shelters amid the outbreaks, shelter officials told Axios.

By the numbers: Hillsborough this week had 290 dogs in its adoption center off Falkenburg Road, dozens over its max capacity of about 230, director Scott Trebatoski told Axios.

• The Humane Society's shelter in West Tampa was at about 225 dogs this week, more than double its 100-dog capacity, Silk said.
• The first few weeks that Pasco suspended dog intakes and adoptions, the shelter was forced to take in 100 more dogs that had nowhere else to go due to issues like owner eviction or death, assistant director Spencer Conover told Axios.

Of note: Pinellas County Animal Services has not yet seen any dog flu cases, but interim director Jennifer Renner said officials are testing dogs with respiratory symptoms and have stopped accepting out-of-county intakes as precautionary measures.

All three shelters consulted with Crawford, who recommended a solution she compared to pre-vaccine chicken pox parties: Get the dogs together so they'll all get sick and develop immunity.

• "That's a lesson-learned strategy that I have finally settled on after 20 years of working with this virus in shelters," Crawford said.

Fun fact: While most dogs don't have a pre-existing immunity to dog flu, there is a vaccine, which like the human shot must be administered annually to be effective.

• It's not considered a "core" vaccine, so owners are unlikely to seek it out, said Crawford, who was on the team that developed it in 2009.

What's next: Pasco officials are working to decrease the number of shelter dogs by about 50 so they can relocate sick and exposed dogs to another facility. They began off-site adoptions this week for dogs that have had the virus and recovered from it.

• Hillsborough moved nearly 300 dogs to a separate county building this week and is working to disinfect the pet center. It reopens Monday for cat-related services.
• Officials there and at the Humane Society hope to have dog intakes and adoptions back up and running by mid-July.

Concerned dog owners can talk to their veterinarian about getting the vaccine, Crawford said.

• They should also understand that taking a dog to places where lots of canines congregate, such as daycare or boarding facilities, can put the pup at risk.