The Bill Atkinson Animal Welfare Center in Gwinnett County has suspended dog adoptions and intake until July 26 as a protective measure against a canine viral infection.
The center will still accept cats and injured dogs. Cat adoptions are available. Pet owners can also still reclaim lost pets, including dogs, during business hours.
Two canines recently tested positive for canine parvovirus, also known as parvo, a spokesperson for the county said. The virus, which is highly contagious, can cause several symptoms in dogs including a fever, vomiting and loss of appetite, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The center also suspended dog adoptions in May for the same reason.
Since the Gwinnett county shelter takes in lost, stray and surrendered animals, some animals could already have parvo, but symptoms may not have appeared yet, the spokesperson said.
“By self-imposing a suspension of canine adoptions, we are committed to preventing further spread of the virus,” the spokesperson said.
This problem is not unique to Gwinnett.
Fulton and DeKalb animal shelters have also had problems with infections spreading throughout their shelters. Dog flu was such a problem that it caused Fulton and DeKalb county animal services to open a temporary shelter to house and protect pets that had not been exposed to the virus, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in January.
LifeLine, the organization that manages animal services for Fulton and DeKalb, told the AJC in December that about 300 dogs had symptoms for canine influenza virus type H3N2.
In May, the AJC reported that canine flu was spreading through Fulton’s facility again, which caused LifeLine to call for urgent adoptions.
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