Rabid puppy put down in Salt Rock

The discovery of a weimaraner puppy with rabies in Salt Rock has sent many residents scrambling to inoculate their pets.

Debbie Fagg of Salt Rock told the Courier they had to put down their puppy on Monday.

“She did escape on Sunday, so we sent out an alert on WhatsApp groups to warn people,” she said.

“She had not yet reached the normal age to take her in for vaccinations, and when I got her she had all the stickers in her booklet, so I had assumed everything was fine.

“I would just warn people to talk to your vet if you are unsure about your puppy’s vaccination status.

“Watching a puppy go through rabies is one of the worst things to have to see.”

Rabies is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain in humans and other mammals spread primarily through bites.

Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of the bite.

These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: violent movements, uncontrolled excitement, fear of water, an inability to move parts of the body, confusion, and loss of consciousness.

Once symptoms appear, the result is nearly always death.

Quintin Doidge from the state vet told the Courier they had two confirmed cases of rabies in dogs on the Dolphin Coast in July, one in Stanger and the weimaraner puppy in Salt Rock.

He urged people to bring their dogs in at three months old to be vaccinated against rabies.

“If your puppy’s mother was vaccinated, then it will be protected for the first three months by the antibodies in its mother’s colostrum (the first milk a mammal produces for its offspring),” Doidge explained.

“If the puppies mother was not vaccinated, then you should take the dog in to be vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Doidge said the state vet had carried out two free rabies vaccination campaigns this year, including the one two weeks ago, though they hoped to be able to increase this number in future.

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