More than 70 dogs in PA at risk of euthanasia by next week amid canine flu outbreak – SILive.com

Philadelphias only animal care and control provider, which also handles the intake of animals, said dozens of dogs are at risk of euthanasia as the facility struggles to manage the spread of canine flu and pneumovirus, a respiratory illness that has spread rapidly in shelters in recent months.

The shelter, ACCT Philly, said it has to create a second shelter to temporarily house dogs exposed to canine flu for up to a month in order to limit further spread. Shelter operators consulted with disease control experts and found the infected animals will need to be separated from incoming dogs for up to 30 days to lower risk.

However, with an average of 100 dogs entering the shelter weekly, ACCT Philly said it is not able to close its doors because no other organization is capable of absorbing the influx.

The nonprofit said it is housing 120 dogs, and with a temporary space only able to accommodate 50 dogs, at least 70 of them are at risk of being put down.

There is no good time to do something like this, but unfortunately with the number of dogs who are getting sick, we dont have a humane alternative, Sarah Barnett, ACCT Phills executive director, said in a release. We continue to be here for the animals most in need in Philadelphia, and while this will be very challenging to pull off, we hope that the community will support us and help make this successful.

Barnett said volunteers to adopt a dog or foster a large dog for a month are desperately needed. If not, she called on the community for donations.

We are the only organization open 365 days a year 24/7, helping almost 16,000 animals each year, and we can only do so with the communitys investment, Barnett said.

Individuals can sign up to foster or adopt a large dog.

All adoption fees are waived for dogs over 40 pounds until April 23, and people who can foster large dogs will receive a $400 Visa gift card at the end of the month.

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More than 70 dogs in PA at risk of euthanasia by next week amid canine flu outbreak - SILive.com