Powder River Examiner -

By Esther Wynne, Courtesy of the Bighorn County News

A family living in Big Horn County had a close call with rabies this past week.

The father asked me to share their story with our community so that others might be made aware. If he had not thought to aggressively search on the internet he might not have sought out the medical advice that has probably saved his life and that of his family members. Please read this story.

In early July, the family's five-month old puppy was playing in their yard (in the country) when the puppy was attacked by a skunk. Eventually the owner was able to kill the skunk and bury it. He did not think this was peculiar; however, we know that attacking a dog in the middle of the day is unusual behavior for a skunk. We know that skunks living in Big Horn County can carry rabies and that pets and livestock that have been bitten by skunks have tested positive for rabies in the past. Coyotes, raccoons, bats and foxes can also carry rabies.

Then, about two weeks later, the puppy refused to eat his dry dog food. The family took to feeding him human food. The puppy did not want to drink water. Nineteen days after the skunk attack, the puppy was wobbling when he walked. "It was like his front legs weren't working right", the father reported. Then the puppy fell into the canal on their property and drowned. The father jumped in and pulled the puppy onto land and administered mouth to mouth resuscitation. The puppy resumed breathing but died several hours later. The father buried the family's puppy.

The following day the father began to wonder what caused a previously healthy puppy to "up and die." He spent some time online and found out that skunks can carry rabies. "I thought that if the animal wasn't foaming at the mouth, then they didn't have rabies. I found out I was wrong." As he learned, the symptoms his puppy exhibited were consistent with a rabies infection. (Symptoms can include difficulty swallowing, excessive drooling, staggering and seizures).

This father also learned that people can catch rabies even if their dog doesn't bite them. Any contact with an infected animal's saliva to an open scratch on your hand or arm or to mucous membranes like your mouth or your eyes can allow the rabies virus to move into a healthy individual. Following the realization that his entire family had been exposed to the puppy's saliva over the last few days of the animal's life, the father began to access medical care. Eventually, he contacted the Big Horn County Health Department who coordinated with the Crow Service Unit IHS Public Health Department and all four family members received their rabies immune globulin and their first rabies vaccine. They will return to Crow Public Health to complete the series of shots that are the protocol for treating exposure to the rabies virus.

Since both the skunk and the puppy had decomposed too much for testing, we do not have a confirmed lab test; however, given the timeline and the behavior of the skunk and the puppy it is highly probable that rabies was the cause. The mortality rate for humans who are infected with rabies and are not treated within the first weeks of exposure is 99.9%. This story could have easily had a tragic ending but due to this father's curiosity and timely follow-through, his entire family will be fine.

The best way to protect your pets and your family is to vaccinate your dogs and cats.