Update 04/11/2015, 4:40pm:  Currently, there are 19 animals at the shelter that are showing symptoms of this specific illness.  At this time we would not consider any of them to be critical or life threatening.  The shelter staff began administering the doxycycline today in hopes that this will clear up the symptoms that they are seeing. 

There are four veterinarians that are being consulted with.  Together with the director, they have come up with a plan on how to care and clean for these animals.  New cleaning procedures have been put into effect today during the quarantine procedure.  Animals were also moved around inside to different locations and pens within the shelter to cut down on exposure and to create a true, two-pen quarantine environment for every dog. 

There has been an enormous outpouring of assistance from the veterinary community, rescue community, and retail community to assist in caring for animals at the shelter.  Because of the recent media notification that the shelter needed doxycycline, the shelter has been able to secure not only enough to last the weekend, but enough to last the entire 10-day quarantine for all dogs in the shelter.  The director even has enough for any dogs that may become sick at the offsite temporary shelter location. 

The medications were both purchased and donated from the following veterinary offices and rescue groups:

Angels Among Us Pet Rescue (Atlanta)
Atlanta Lab Rescue (Buckhead)
Banfield Animal Hospitals (Lawrenceville)
Baranik Animal Care (Suwanee)
Fur Kids (Alpharetta)
Georgia SPCA (Suwanee)
Gwinnett Animal Hospital (Snellville)
K-9 Rescue League
Russell Ridge Animal Hospital (Lawrenceville)
Society of Humane Friends (Lawrenceville)
Sugar Hill Animal Hospital
The Veterinary Clinic West (Marietta)
Tiger Tails Animal Hospital (Duluth)

Even though the shelter now has enough, we will still continue to accept donations of this medication to have should it be needed. 

The Facebook page “Helping Animals at the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter” put out a plea last night on their site for donations of canned dog food, blue Dawn liquid dish detergent and towels.  This was very late in the evening when the need was discovered, and the response has been overwhelming.  Many thanks as well to two of the administrators of that page, Jan Grissom and Cathy Elliot.  Ms. Grissom and Ms. Elliot have been driving all over metro Atlanta from Buford, to Duluth, to Marietta, to Buckhead picking up donations for the shelter, saving staff time. 

A large thank you also goes out to the Petsmart at the Mall of Georgia in Buford and Alcovy Pet Rescue for holding a donation drive today at the store for supplies needed at the shelter.

A very large thank you is also due to the private citizens that have come to the shelter making these donations.

The shelter has received approximately 700 cans of dog food, along with other supplies already. 

Even though this sickness is only apparent in dogs, a large thank you goes out to the cat rescue community.  With the assistance of an individual local rescuer named Caroline Gatto, all cats have been removed from the shelter.  This was not because the director was afraid the cats would become sick, but it was done to ease the staff’s workload of having to not only care for dogs, but cats as well. 

The rescues that Ms. Gatto worked with to pull these animals are:

Angels Among Us (Atlanta)
Columbus Purrs and Paws (Columbus)
Fur Kids (Alpharetta)
Planned Pethood (Duluth)

The Animal Control Director has been in touch with the doctors at the University of Georgia Veterinary Medicine College.  No results have come back as of yet on the tests that are being conducted.  It is anticipated that the results will return late Monday afternoon.  The temporary animal housing for incoming animals from field officers is up and running well and currently only contains two dogs.

Director Moore would like to extend a large thank you to the staff members that have worked tirelessly to care for the animals at the shelter.  He would also like to extend a large thank you to the numerous Gwinnett County Volunteers that have come in and worked just as hard side by side with shelter staff. 

The Gwinnett County Police Department and Animal Control Director Chip Moore would like to thank our citizens for their patience during this difficult time. 

If you have any additional concerns or questions please email animalwelfare@gwinnettcounty.com.

Once additional information is received, this media release will be updated.