Santa Rosa County Animal Services is temporarily closing all dog adoption operations at the shelter facility until Monday, September 30 due to an autoimmune illness called Mycoplasma cynos.
SRCAS shelter and medical staff are treating the affected dogs and hope to be clear for regular adoption operations by Monday.
“The greatest concern at this point is preventing the escalation to pneumonia in the already affected dogs,” said Animal Services Chief Randy Lambert. “Our team has been diligent in identifying the issue quickly. Luckily we’ve been able to isolate our cats and kittens from the illness, and are monitoring everyone closely.”
According to the AKC Canine Health Foundation, Mycoplasma cynos is an emerging respiratory bacterium in dogs. It is associated with kennel cough and may lead to fatal pneumonia.
The shelter will continue with scheduled offsite adoption events this week, only bringing dogs currently in foster care, that have not been exposed to the illness.
