Posted on 04/21/2010 10:55:53 PM PDT by Chet 99
Enraged bobcat attacks dog, injures man Staff
April 21, 2010
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The Pinal County Public Health Services District is issuing a rabies advisory, urging Pinal County residents to have their animals vaccinated against the fatal disease.
On April 20 a resident of Mammoth was attacked by a bobcat while outside his home in his yard. The bobcat lunged from under a parked vehicle and caused numerous bite and scratch injuries to the victim before friends assisted, beating it with sticks and a gardening hoe until it ran off. The man received medical attention for his wounds.
The bobcat then got into a fight with a family dog a few blocks away before being shot by a local resident.
After submitting the dead bobcat for testing, the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory notified Pinal County on April 21 that the bobcat was positive for rabies. The victim is continuing to receive prophylactic therapy to prevent the rabies infection. Unfortunately, the dog that was attacked was unvaccinated. Since the dog could develop rabies infection, it will now need to be euthanized to protect the family and the public.
This is the sixth rabid animal identified in Pinal County so far in 2010. Five of the six rabid animals in the county have been found in the southern and eastern parts of the county. Three skunks, one bat, and a coatimundi have tested positive in addition to the bobcat. While this is the first human bitten by a rabid animal this year, eight domestic animals have been exposed to rabid animals. Four had to be euthanized.
“Owners of dogs and cats need to keep in mind the importance of rabies shots for their pets. We never want to take a family pet away from the home, but are left with no choice if there is a chance it could develop rabies and spread it to other animals or even people. Rabies is basically 100 percent fatal once symptoms appear, and that is a risk we cannot afford to take with people’s lives. A simple shot would both prevent rabies in your pet and keep us from having to euthanize animals that are exposed,” said Tom Schryer, director of Pinal County Public Health.
The identification of rabid animals statewide serves as a reminder of the potential for rabies in wild animals in Arizona. Rabies is an infectious disease that affects the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord of animals and humans. It is caused by a virus present in the saliva of infected animals and is transmitted to humans through contact with the live virus. Rabies is fatal to humans once symptoms appear. There has not been a documented case of human rabies in Pinal County for decades; however, every year in Pinal County there are several humans exposed to rabid animals.
“Aggressive behavior or bites associated with wild animals should always be reported to state or county officials,” Schryer said. “Providing rabies shots to humans immediately after exposure to a rabid animal saves lives. Wild animals generally tend to be shy around humans and avoid contact. Any time a wild animal displays overtly aggressive behavior it causes concern for rabies. The best thing to do if you see a wild animal acting strangely is to keep as much distance as possible and report it to your local animal control department.”
While human exposures to rabid animals are rare, family pets are more often exposed to wild animals, including wild animals that are rabid. Pets should be vaccinated against rabies. The vaccine is available at veterinary offices or through county animal care and control.
Contact Pinal County Animal Care and Control for more information concerning rabies vaccination for pets and vaccination clinic times and locations at 520-509-3555 or toll free at 888-431-1311.
Rabies can occur in animals anywhere in the county. In the last few years, the southern and eastern portions of Pinal County have had the most activity. Rabies is found mainly in wild animals such as bats, skunks, foxes, raccoons, bobcats and coyotes. Cats, dogs, and livestock can also become infected with rabies if they are bitten by rabid wild animals and have not been vaccinated. Rodents such as rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs and squirrels are not likely to be infected with rabies. Wild animals exhibiting unusual behavior should be reported to local animal control officials.
The first sign of rabies is usually a change in the animal’s behavior. Animals may act more aggressive or more tame than usual. Animals usually active at night such as skunks, foxes and bats may be out during the day. Rabid animals may appear agitated and excited or paralyzed and frightened. Sometimes, rabid animals do not show any signs of illness before death from rabies. That is why contact with wild animals should always be avoided.
The Pinal County Public Health Services District recommends the following precautions:
· Keep people and pets away from wild animals. Do not pick up, touch or feed wild or unfamiliar animals, especially sick or wounded ones. If someone has been bitten or scratched, or has had contact with the animal, report it immediately to animal control or health officials. · Do not “rescue” seemingly abandoned young wild animals. Usually, the mother will return. If the mother is dead or has not returned in many hours, call the Arizona Game and Fish Department. · Vaccinate all dogs and cats against rabies. Pets should be kept in a fenced yard. · Take precautions when camping, hunting or fishing. Avoid sleeping on the open ground without the protection of a closed tent or camper. Keep pets on a leash and do not allow them to wander. · Do not disturb roosting bats. If you find a bat on the ground, don’t touch it. Report the bat and its location to your local animal control officer or health department. Place a box over the bat to contain it. Be careful not to damage the bat in any way since it must be intact for rabies testing.
For more information about rabies, call the Pinal County Public Health Services District at (520) 866-7138 or the Arizona Department of Health Services at (602) 364-4562.
Why are people treated after being bitten, but a dog has to be euthanized?
Here kitty kitty.
Good question.
They’ve done it for pigs:
Channarong Mitmoonpitaka, b, Sukunya Limusannoa, b, Pakamatz Khawploda, b, Veera Tepsumethanona, b and Henry Wilde, , a, b
a Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, Thai Red Cross Society, 1871 Rama IV Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
b Department of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Received 3 October 2001; revised 18 December 2001; accepted 15 January 2002. Available online 5 February 2002.
Abstract
A rabid dog invaded a Thai pig farm and severely mauled 11 adult pigs. This offered an opportunity to study efficacy of a human type post-exposure vaccine regimen with and without rabies immunoglobulin. A commercial veterinary tissue culture rabies vaccine and equine rabies immune globulin were used. All pigs survived for 1 year following the exposure. All animals developed detectable rabies neutralizing antibodies on day 7 and levels over 0.5 IU/ml on day 14. This small study suggests that post-exposure rabies treatment using a proven human regimen, applied to valuable farm animals, can be safe and effective.
And they can choose voluntary quarantine, as well.
Prevention in pets
All dogs and cats should be vaccinated against rabies according to local rules and regulations. Wild animals kept as pets should never be vaccinated, and contact with wild animals should be avoided. The recommendations for a pet bitten by a wild animal or a known rabid animal are as follows:
If the pet has been vaccinated, re-vaccinate and quarantine for 90 days.
If the pet has not been vaccinated, euthanize and submit tissue for rabies testing. If the owner is unwilling to euthanize the pet, it should be strictly quarantined for six months with vaccination one month prior to release.
As strict as this protocol sounds, it is the proper procedure to ensure that no one else is infected with this deadly disease.
Obamacare will take care of this discrepancy...
They only euthanize to check for rabies in brain,,if you wait too long people get it.
biting dogs ought to be put down after the first bite in my opinion.They are dogs. We are people,,there is a difference.
I laughed, then I cried.
It's a shame they have to put down a dog that protects a family from a rabid animal.
To me, it sounds like the human anti-virus works in animals.
The “one year” survival rate mentioned is undoubtedly due to the pigs becoming dinner.
Since the dog has nothing to lose, I don’t see why they couldn’t at least try it.
It could revolutionize veterinary treatments for the benefit of all.
There is also the option of the owner refusing to euthanize, in which case, the dog is quarantined for 6 months, given a vaccine 1 month prior to release and that’s the end of it.
[but I have to admit that *not* having their dog vaccinated in the first place was stupid. maybe that’s why they didn’t fight the euthanasia. if you didn’t care enough to make sure your dog doesn’t get rabies in the first place, how much are you really going to care if it later contracts it?]
The dog bit no one; the rabid -bob cat- did.
The -dog- was bitten.
“It’s a shame they have to put down a dog that protects a family from a rabid animal.”
No good deed goes unpunished.
I bet the bobcat has Pit Bull parents.
That doesn’t look like an American (Western) Bobcat. Too orange and black splotches are quite vivid.
Ooops. Arizona.. Maybe there are different varieties of Bobcats in the West.
I always wonder how it was ever possible to domesticate wild cats.
I assume the original breed must have been really really nice.
Mind you you can domesticate cougars but it can be difficult on your wallet or your health.If kitty is having one of these days.
Most “domestic” cats would probably shred you to bits if they had the physical strength/ability to do so. Since they don’t, they poop outside the litter box instead and purr until you go insane, and also give you allergy attacks.
I was wondering why people can’t be vaccinated like animals are?
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