DURBAN - Dog owners in KwaZulu-Natal are being warned to get their pets’ rabies vaccines up to date urgently, following an incident of the killer virus in the Upper Highway area this week.It was the fourth case known to the Kloof SPCA in the past three months.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture could not be reached at the time of going to press. Kloof vet Craig Mostert said a dog that had been brought in on Wednesday, looking injured, had turned aggressive the following morning, showing signs of rabies, leading him to making the “executive decision” to euthanise it.
“When we realised (after test results came back) that it was rabies, we went into high gear,” he said.
Five of his staff who had touched the animal had to be re-vaccinated. A “Good Samaritan”, who was a veterinary assistant, had brought the animal to the Kloof Veterinary Clinic after finding two women trying to catch it outside the Gillitts Fire Station at around 5pm, according to Valerie Nicholson of the Gillitts 2 Community Watch.
The organisation had put out an emergency notice about the medium-size white and black hound running in the street.
“The two women saw blood coming from its mouth and thought ‘shame, it’s been hit by a car’. But it nipped them, one on the hand and the other on the arm.”
Nicholson said the two women have undergone rabies prevention treatment. She called on anyone who may have also tried to catch it, or touched any part of the animal, to seek treatment.
Mostert stressed the importance of people taking their dogs for rabies vaccines. “It’s one of the only vaccines that is 100%. Things like Ebola (vaccines) are less so.”
He said KwaZulu-Natal had the highest prevalence of the disease in South Africa because of the sub-tropical climate. “The public needs to be more aware of how dangerous it is. In India, 50 000 people a year die from it.”
Kloof SPCA spokeswoman Brigitte Ferguson added: “It is a legal requirement to ensure that this is done. This can be done at our SPCA or your local veterinarian practice. There is no cure once the rabies virus is contracted.
“Rabies vaccinations need to be done annually to ensure the vaccine remains effective, and thereby not only protects your four-legged companions but also your immediate family and community.”
Ferguson said that the previous case had been on December 1 when a man brought in a dog to be euthanised after it had bitten his daughter.
“The young girl’s wounds were serious and she had to be admitted to hospital. Previously the dog had been friendly and playful and had never tried to bite anyone. This prompted the clinic to send the dog away for rabies testing. Sadly, the only way to determine whether an animal is positive for the rabies virus is to test the brain, and unfortunately the animal has to be euthanised before this test can be carried out. The dog was positive for the rabies virus and was from the Caversham, Pinetown, area.”
Cases immediately prior to that were from Molweni and eMbo, Ferguson said.