Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > General Forum for cats and dogs

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old April 9th, 2012, 06:29 PM
lynsaymark lynsaymark is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ontario
Posts: 3
Dog who is not up to date with rabies vaccine

I have a dog who has not been vaccinated for rabies in 4 years who came into contact with a raccoon today. The raccoon did NOT display any signs of rabies but is there anything I should be concerned with? My dog will be getting the rabies vaccine tomorrow. What are the rules/laws in Ontario? I am afraid to tell the vet because I dont want them to take away my dog
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old April 9th, 2012, 09:07 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
How old is your dog, lynsaymark? Has it been vaccinated previously?

I don't know what the rules are in Ontario, but I hope someone can weigh in on the issue and set your mind at ease. Here, as long as your dog hasn't bitten anyone, they'd just revaccinate and make you license the dog.
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old April 10th, 2012, 06:13 AM
Melinda's Avatar
Melinda Melinda is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,247
ontario is now considered a rabies free province, meaning there have been no cases in 7 yrs +, in our case (eastern ontario) its been roughly 11 yrs now. My dog only had two rabies shots in 7 yrs and my vet agree's with me that yes, she is still covered and had vacine still in her system.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old April 10th, 2012, 09:12 AM
Sylvie's Avatar
Sylvie Sylvie is offline
Senior Contributor
Space Invaders Champion, Smack the Rabbit Champion
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Caledonia, Ontario
Posts: 1,519
Don't worry, they will not take your dog away from you. The worst that could happen is that they give you a lecture on why you should give rabies shots.
__________________
Sylvie

Owned by

Bree 12 year old GSD
Keesha 8 year old GSD
Cyrus 7 year old GSD


RIP: All my angels.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old April 10th, 2012, 09:25 AM
lynsaymark lynsaymark is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ontario
Posts: 3
We live in southwestern Ontario. She goes to get her rabies shot today but I am afraid of the outcome if I tell the vet what happened ....on the other hand if by some small chance she got rabies (the coon did NOT show any signs and has been living in that area for a while) I am afraid of what could happen.....are there signs to look for before animal becomes dangerous? Thanks for all of your help!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old April 10th, 2012, 01:32 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
Has she ever been vaccinated? If not, best to ask the vet. I don't think anyone here has ever seen an active case of rabies firsthand.

I do know that animals with rabies can pass it on even before they're symptomatic. I really think you should come clean with your vet. Especially if she's never been vaccinated.
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old April 11th, 2012, 05:02 AM
Sylvie's Avatar
Sylvie Sylvie is offline
Senior Contributor
Space Invaders Champion, Smack the Rabbit Champion
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Caledonia, Ontario
Posts: 1,519
How did you make out at the vets?
__________________
Sylvie

Owned by

Bree 12 year old GSD
Keesha 8 year old GSD
Cyrus 7 year old GSD


RIP: All my angels.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old April 11th, 2012, 07:51 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,528
Quote:
Originally Posted by Melinda View Post
ontario is now considered a rabies free province, meaning there have been no cases in 7 yrs +, in our case (eastern ontario) its been roughly 11 yrs now. My dog only had two rabies shots in 7 yrs and my vet agree's with me that yes, she is still covered and had vacine still in her system.
NO!!! NO, NO. Sorry to be loud but that's not true. We still have rabies. You may have heard that Ontario was declared free of racoon rabies. http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Rabies/index.html

Rabies vaccination is required by law in much of Ontario. Heck, in Canada.

My thinking is that if you are concerned it would be most irresponsible of you to allow a Vet to handle the dog without informing him/her of the situation.

If the dog was vaccinated with the three year rabies four years ago it is likely he is still protected. You can tell for sure by asking for a titre count. Some folks titre instead of vaccinating (till the count gets too low that is) but the catch is they still need a certificate from the Vet to say what the titre count was and they need to know if that is acceptable to the health officials where they live and where they travel to.

I guess I'm coming along after the Vet visit though, how did it go?

ETA: Thought I'd better clarify the "free of racoon rabies" bit. There are three strains of rabies virus; actic fox, bat and racoon. Racoons are most susceptible to the racoon virus but they can get any of the others. Ontario has not had a racoon virus report since 2005. Racoons can still get rabies but it is less likely. This is all in the link in my post.

Last edited by Longblades; April 11th, 2012 at 08:55 AM. Reason: clarification
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old April 11th, 2012, 08:47 AM
Choochi Choochi is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Toronto
Posts: 304
Longblades is correct, Ontario is NOT rabies free. I've seen the stats, I can try to find them later, and off unreliable memory :P our last case was a bat 2 years ago?? or a year ago?


By law your dog is required to be up to date on rabies shots. That means every year if it is the 1yr vaccine or every 3yrs if it is the 3yr vaccine. Your vet will issue a certificate when giving the shot and that and only that matter in the eyes of the law. Now.. from the actual medical point of view, the 1y and the 3yr vaccines are actually the same product and offer the same level of protection and in fact the rabies vaccine is believed to offer 5-7yrs protection (possibly longer). There is an effort right now to offer legally recognized and certified 5yr long rabies shot/certification.

So to the op.. if your dog has had the rabies shot, there is a good chance that she was protected but you should still notify the vet. They will not take your dog away. The only time you risk that is if your dog bites a person and your do not have a certificate to prove that your dog is up to date as in certified on his rabies shot. That is the ONLY time your dog may be taken away.

Telling your vet protects them, you, and your dog. Your vet will be able to tell you if there are any signs you need to watch out for, etc although I really wouldn't worry. They can also inform the animal control about the racoon, if they feel it is a safety issue for the community.

Last edited by marko; April 11th, 2012 at 09:03 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old April 11th, 2012, 09:02 AM
marko's Avatar
marko marko is offline
Administrator - Pet lover
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Montreal Quebec Canada
Posts: 12,651
Thanks for this info everyone. Choochi i have bolded part of your reply as that seems to be the crux of the worry for the OP. Thx!
__________________
Please tactfully EDUCATE or IGNORE posters you don't agree with.
Please PM me & Include URLs and post #'s for any issues and it's my pleasure to help.
I'm firm - but fair. Mind the Rules and enjoy your stay.
Newcomers FAQ - How do I post on this BB?
Pet facebook group
Check out the Pet podcast
Follow me on Twitter
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old April 11th, 2012, 03:17 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,528
I don't want to unecessarily frighten anyone but a dog can be taken away to quarantine and not have bitten anyone. It almost happened to a lady at work. Her dog, fully vaccinated, brought a freshly killed bat in after her morning pee. Lady played it safe, shut her dog in the house and took the bat to her Vet. The bat tested positive for rabies and the Vet had to report it to Health of Animals branch of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

The lady had to get rabies shots, just to be safe. Once she knew the dog had a bat in her mouth she was very careful in her handling but, just to be safe.

The dog had to be quarantined for, I don't remember how long. The Health of Animals inspector visited the lady's home and because her tall fences were very secure she was allowed to quarantine the dog at her home. Otherwise it would have had to be at an approved kennel somewhere.

Here's the interesting part. While the lady was at her Vet, or maybe it was at her Doctor's but anyway, while she was away her daughter dropped in for a visit and had her own dog with her. You can guess, can't you? Daughter had a key, let herself and her dog in, let both dogs out into the back yard to play.

YUp, BOTH dogs had to be quarantined. The daughter did not have to get rabies shots, she had not been bitten and had not handled the bat. And she was also allowed to quarantine at home but the Health of Animals inspector in her area had to visit her home too, to OK her yard.

Choochi, and I think the OP, are worried the dog might be taken and destroyed as that is the only way to test for rabies if the dog is unvaccinated and has bitten a person. But the dog can be taken away for a period of time and I have no doubt it would be at the owner's expense.

Rabies is a serious threat to human health and the possiblity of it is not taken lightly. If a vaccinated dog, or cat, bites a human it will not likely be destroyed but it will be quarantined. If a vaccinated dog or cat itself is bitten by a suspect animal it likely will be quarantined. No vaccine is 100% foolproof. When my dog tangled with porcupine my Vet said count my lucky stars it wasn't a skunk. We are a rabies hot spot for skunks, or we were, and even a tangle with a seemingly healthy skunk would have required my Vet to report the incident and he was sure the dog would have to be quarantined.

No report back yet from the OP? Hope it went OK.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old April 12th, 2012, 11:02 PM
Choochi Choochi is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Toronto
Posts: 304
Quote:
Originally Posted by Longblades View Post
Choochi, and I think the OP, are worried the dog might be taken and destroyed as that is the only way to test for rabies if the dog is unvaccinated and has bitten a person. But the dog can be taken away for a period of time and I have no doubt it would be at the owner's expense..
You're right that's all I was thinking of. I honestly wouldn't be that concerned about a required quarantine, my worry is the dog being seized to be destroyed.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old April 14th, 2012, 10:01 AM
lynsaymark lynsaymark is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ontario
Posts: 3
The vet visit went great! She got her rabies shot and we have to just keep an eye on her for a month. The vet was not at ll concerned with rabies as they do numerous random tests on the raccoon;s on our area and we haven't had a case of raccoon rabies in a very long time......if It had been a skunk or fox they would have been more concerned.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old April 14th, 2012, 02:21 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
Good news, lynsaymark!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old April 15th, 2012, 08:11 AM
Sylvie's Avatar
Sylvie Sylvie is offline
Senior Contributor
Space Invaders Champion, Smack the Rabbit Champion
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Caledonia, Ontario
Posts: 1,519
Great news!
__________________
Sylvie

Owned by

Bree 12 year old GSD
Keesha 8 year old GSD
Cyrus 7 year old GSD


RIP: All my angels.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old April 16th, 2012, 07:58 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,528
Yay, what a relief for you.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:46 AM.