Dog adoption centers close due to possible canine influenza
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Animal Humane Society's dog adoption centers in Golden Valley, Woodbury and Coon Rapids are temporarily closing for three to four weeks out of concerns for canine influenza.
Head of Animal Humane Society Lisa Bonds said Thursday a possible outbreak could be from a dog that arrived to one of their shelters two weeks ago.
“Over the last few days, we've seen an outbreak of respiratory infections in animals across our shelter and became aware that an animal that came to us on March 23 had been exposed to canine influenza. We're acting out of an abundance of caution. None of our animals have yet tested positive,” Bonds said.
The majority of the 200 dogs held at the shelters have symptoms of canine influenza, and Bonds feels certain it is the highly contagious virus even though they haven’t had a positive test yet.
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“Although we’re waiting for those tests to be confirmed, we’re moving forward like it is canine influenza,” she said.
Staff will be making calls to anyone who has adopted a dog since March 23 to inform them of possible exposure.
Canine influenza is similar to human influenza, said Managing Shelter Veterinarian Dr. Sara Lewis. “Animals can be sick and contagious for up to three to four weeks,” she said.
It looks similar to any respiratory infection, Lewis said, and dogs may experience coughing and sneezing, as well as eye discharge.
It’s rare to see canine influenza in Minnesota, Lewis said. The Animal Humane Society hadn’t been vaccinating against the virus, but they begin now.