You can dot all the “i”s and cross all the “t”s and sometimes trouble will still find you.
The book of Job says “For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.” But when trouble comes looking for you, it sure helps if you HAVE taken all the precautions you are supposed to.
This concept was brought home to me recently by the experience of one of our good clients. Hearing barking outside, he went to investigate and found a skunk in his fenced-in backyard. The skunk was acting in a bizarre manner and one of his dogs was barking at it. The skunk then went out of the yard by going under the fence. But then the skunk came right back in.
Not knowing what had occurred before getting outside, our client dispatched the skunk. Animal control was called, and the skunk tested positive for rabies. We examined both dogs and it appeared that the skunk had not bitten them.
Our client had done everything right. His dogs were controlled in a fenced-in yard and they were current on their rabies vaccination, which means our client was in compliance with all county and state laws. But trouble still came looking for him. I asked if he would mind me sharing his experience, to help our other clients.
Over the years, I have heard a lot of excuses people use for not getting their pets vaccinated for rabies. One of the most frequent has been “but my pets are in a fence and never leave”. What they forget is that sometimes, rabies comes looking for your pets. Unless your fence can keep all other animals OUT, your pets are at risk of being exposed.
And this can include totally indoor pets, such as cats. Tragically, in December of 2011, a middle-aged woman in South Carolina died from rabies. Health officials now believe that she was exposed to rabid bat in her own home.
Why is it so important to vaccinate your pets? No only is their health at risk, but YOUR health is at risk, too. Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system, including the brain. If a person is exposed and receives post-exposure prophylaxis, the chance of successful treatment is high. However, if a person develops symptoms of the disease, there is very little chance that any treatment will prevent death. There have only been a handful of people in history who have survived rabies after showing symptoms.
Around the world each year more than 55,000 people die from rabies, mostly in countries too poor to be able to provide post-exposure vaccination.
What happens if your pet is unvaccinated and exposed to a wild animal that has rabies? According to the Georgia Rabies Control Manual, that pet should be euthanized.
And does the wild animal have to test positive at a lab? No: “Any animal potentially exposed to rabies virus by a wild, carnivorous mammal or a bat that is not available for testing should be regarded as having been exposed to rabies.”
Any decisions about what happens to a pet that is unvaccinated, or not up-to-date on vaccines, is up to the Rabies Control Officer of the county; it is not a decision that your family veterinarian can make.
So the easy solution to this potentially deadly problem: Make sure all your pets stay current on their rabies vaccination.
At Family Pet Clinic, we keep a computerized record of when your pet was vaccinated, and which specific vaccine was used. Also, we use our computerized system to send you a letter, e mail or text to remind you when you pet is due again for vaccination.
Let us help you dot all the “i”s and cross all the “t”s involving your pet’s health care. And so when trouble comes, it won’t be any worse than necessary.
Because trouble will come. In the words of the Outlaw Josey Wales: “Sometimes, trouble just follows a man”.
