Does anyone know if CS/EIS would help in this situation???
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Date: Nov 18, 2006 2:01 PM
Subject: Food for thought
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Crossposted from another list - I think skunks are present in all
parts of
the US - they consistute a danger that I hadn't given much thought to
since I
live in the middle of town - but I see skunks in the greenbelts near
my home
occasionally.......
<Some of you may have received this email from other groups, however,
it is a
very real reminder about these kinds of dangers..... ..
Permission was given to cross-post.
I have a terribly tragic story to relate to everyone in the hopes that it
will prevent this from ever happening to another litter of Leo
puppies. I'm
sorry for the length of this story, but I felt I had to include all of
the
details.
Last Friday the 27th, it was a nice, relatively warm October day, so I
put
my 4-1/2 week old litter of 9 puppies outside in an ex-pen. The ex-pen
was
located about 20 feet from my back door and was a 4 ft high pen with
extra
heavy
gauge wire. After the pups were out for about an hour, I was about to
bring
them in when Sarabel looked out the window and noticed a skunk by the
puppy
pen. I went out, expecting to shoo it away by shouting, but it took no
notice
of me at all. Then I saw it put its head through the wire and grab a
puppy. I
ran into the house, grabbed a broom, and smacked the skunk over the head,
but it still took little notice of me, not even spraying me. Finally it
wandered away, and we rushed out and brought the puppies in. Then the
nightmare
began. A phone call to my vet made me very alarmed when the first
thing he
said
was that the skunk might be rabid and to check the puppies very
carefully for
injuries. On close examination, two puppies had bites/scratches on their
faces, one which was an obvious bite. On my vet's advice, I immediately
separated
those two puppies.
The next day, the skunk appeared in my neighbor's yard and walked toward
their son as if to attack. The skunk was killed, and on Tuesday the
results came back positive for rabies. By that time the girls and I had
already started post exposure rabies treatment. The nightmare
continued as
the more I talked to health officials, vets, and others, the more
horrible
this story became. It was clear that my puppies were almost certainly
going to contract rabies. I have learned more about rabies and how it is
transmitted than I ever wanted to know. Young puppies are extremely
vulnerable to contracting rabies when exposed as they have no
immunities to
it and are too young to vaccinate. Vaccination after exposure does
nothing to prevent rabies. I also learned that bites on the face,
especially
near the nose, are the most dangerous. Both puppies were bitten
right next to their noses.
One of my puppy buyers is a nationally known infectious disease
epidemiologist, and he told me that the puppies that had obvious bites
would definitely get rabies and the other seven were also in danger. I
did
not find any obvious injuries on them, but the tiniest unseen scratch
would be enough to infect a puppy with rabies.
This has been the most difficult week of my life. Saturday morning I
had the
two bit ten puppies euthanized, a decision that I had agonized over all
week. After making two previous appointments and not showing up for
them, I
finally found the courage to do what had to be done. There was no
choice; I could not allow those puppies to reach the point of being
symptomatic of rabies and contagious, which they most certainly would
have
in a few weeks.
The fate of the remaining seven puppies is unknown at this time. None
will
be going to their families at 8 weeks. The local health dept. has them
quarantined at my home with strict regulations imposed. There are so many
unknowns which makes it difficult to know what to do. Because I don't
know
how
long the skunk was there and how many puppies it tried to
bite/scratch/ bite/scratch/ <WBR>grab, it's impossible to know if any
or all
also been exposed. Puppies naturally mouth, bite, and lick each other,
so if
they stay together and one becomes rabid, that puppy will i mmediately
infect
the rest. There is also a potential risk to our human family. The post
exposure treatment is highly effective, but is not 100 percent foolproof.
There
are cases where it has failed.
I am continuing to explore all possible options and to talk to as many
knowledgeable people as I can before I make a decision on the seven
puppies. All week I have told myself that this has to be a terrible dream
and not a reality. Unfortunately it is a reality, and I have learned a
terrible lesson. I have now built a pen within a pen creating a double
barrier; a six foot high chain link pen surrounding another six foot high
pen, with the puppies in the inner pen. I want to warn all breeders to
never
allow your young puppies to be outside unless they are in a pen with
a double barrier or in an extremely secure pen with openings small
enough to
stop any wild animals from getting heads and claws in.
Alida
von Alpensee Leos
< BR>The final outcome...as of today November 10, 2006, all the
puppies have
been
put down.
Shared by
Diane Zdrodowski
_www.evanlakecavali ers.com_ (http://www.evanlake cavaliers. com/)
Ms. Kendra James
Kenningway Bichon Frise, Perm. Reg'd.
33 years of healthy, homebred champions
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Yes, this is a sad reminder to be ever watchful. I did contact the
owner of
these babies, and she was most grateful that her message is getting out
there, despite the tough times they've been through..... ...
These babies were too young for a rabies vaccine. And I know, many of us,
are vigilant about over-vaccinating, however, if your dog comes into
contact
with a rabid animal, there is little one can do. Here, in Calgary, we
have
been told by vets to be watchful about squirrels, raccoons and
coyotes. In
the
city, we have seen all of them wander into our neighborhoods. ........
May these little babies that died, serve as a reminder to all of us,
to be
very careful when our dogs are outside.
Kendra
