Rabies exposure results in 2 dead dogs

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Scott Weese

The Galesburg Register Mail headline says "Dogs killed for eating rabid bat." It's true, but the more accurate description would be "dogs euthanized because owners failed to vaccinate them." In yet another unfortunate outcome of failure to properly vaccinate pets, two dogs from Galesburg, Illinois were euthanized after being exposed to a rabid bat. They were found chewing on the dead bat, which was subsequently diagnosed with rabies.

When an unvaccinated animal has been exposed to rabies, there are typically 2 choices:

  • Euthanasia
  • 6 months strict quarantine

The owners couldn't afford the cost of quarantine and decided to euthanize the two dogs.

The sad part is that this was a completely preventable problem. If the dogs were vaccinated, they would have only had to undergo a short period of owner observation, not a long and strict quarantine. Rabies vaccination is cheap insurance for your pets' (and potentially your) health.

(click image for source)

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