Petorama: The animal world has yet again frazzled...

Ask Yvette

The animal world has yet again frazzled the general public. It seems that each week another safety concern is spread across the front page of the paper.

This time around, it seems that rabies has reared its ugly head in a puppy from the Bruce. That might seem far enough removed to put minds at ease here in London. But the circumstances that lead to this problem can happen anywhere.

According to various media sources, a litter of puppies was born to an unvaccinated Border Collie on a farm. The mother appears to have come into contact with rabies from a skunk. At least one of her puppies has died due to the rabies virus. The rabies vaccine is not usually given until a puppy is approximately 16 weeks of age. This leaves a window where young puppies can become infected while nursing from their mother, or from infected wildlife.

Rabies is easily contracted. The virus can be passed through the saliva of an animal through a small cut in the skin. Rabies can be fatal.

What is exceptionally frightening is that this animal was handled by dozens of people. Family and friends of the dog's owner may have been exposed. Then the puppies were sold to a broker. Then they were passed to a pet retailer in a flea market. How many people touched these adorable little pups?

Although young puppies are not likely vaccinated for rabies, owners should expect that reasonable precautions are taken in the care of puppy raising. There are other vaccines that should be taken care of as the puppy matures. In this latest situation, we should wonder if any of the professionals stopped to question why the mother was not inoculated. Did they not ask, or did proceed with their business transactions despite the lack of veterinary care?

I'm not quite certain who benefits when a nursing mom is put into circumstances where she must come into contact with wild animals.

Many rescue organizations and shelters have tried to petition the government to change animal care laws. In return, some people argue that pet industry laws would negatively impact agriculture, hunting and fishing.

In return, I would argue that when there are no standards for the sale of companion animals, the public is potentially placed in danger.

Potential pet owners need to protect themselves. You can do this by purchasing quality over quantity. If you cannot meet the breeder, then you have no way to ascertain the conditions that exist. Quality can come from a number of places, but there is no guarantee in any specific choice. A registered dog has a pedigree. A vaccinated dog has vaccines. Those items are clearly distinct from each other. There are many amazing rescue organizations who maintain higher than average standards of care.

Regardless of where you buy a dog, you need to ask to see vaccination records. These should be of the female as well as the puppies. Make sure the vaccines were performed by a veterinarian. I have heard that some people use up leftover horse vaccines as a substitute. Is that the type of care practice you want to support?

Buying direct from the breeder also lets you inspect the premises. How else would you ever know if that animal was kept in a kennel, exposed to wildlife that could pass on the disease?

In one fell swoop, the actions of a few people have potentially endangered many. At what point do we say that our existing laws are not effective?

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Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...