By now, most of you know about this puppy rabies situation in Colorado with a Denver-area rescue group called Moms and Mutts that specializes in pregnant and/or nursing momma dogs and their litters. I contacted the state's public health department to get answers to some of the common questions people ask about this case and why the entire litter of puppies needed to be euthanized and tested for rabies.
Hint: Rabies is zoonotic, meaning it can infect people too. We protect dogs (and cats and ferrets) from rabies because doing so protects us. They provide a barrier of sorts between us and rabies in wild animals (though certainly people can be exposed to rabies via bats, skunks, raccoons, and other species). "Rabies is virtually always fatal after clinical disease develops, and there have only been rare survivors."
Puppy Rabies Case Timeline
Based on social media posts from the rescue group, the timeline appears to be as follows:
- July 16 - "Celebrity kids" puppies transferred from Texas to Colorado (their transfers are always done on Tuesdays)
- July 20 - adoption event
- July 22 - puppy who later got sick adopted by foster family
- July 29 - 1 puppy started showing signs of illness
- Aug 1 - 1 puppy "presented as rabid" -- I assume he was euthanized and tested for rabies right away.
- Aug 7 - test results confirm the sick puppy had rabies
- Aug 9 - first social media post from rescue group about the puppy rabies situation
INSIGHTS FROM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN COLORADO:
The puppy arrived in Colorado on July 16, and began developing symptoms on July 29, nine days after the adoption event. The puppy became seriously ill, was euthanized, and a local veterinarian submitted it for testing. CDPHE received the report of the positive rabies test on Wednesday, Aug. 7. The incubation period for rabies varies greatly. It is usually between 3 - 12 weeks, but can range from days to months. As soon as CDPHE learned of the positive test, we began outreach to potentially exposed individuals.
Puppy Rabies Case Ensuing Drama
Once the first puppy tested positive for rabies, it seems that some serious miscommunication happened between the adoptive families and the public health officials. Initially, families believed the rabies-exposed pups would require lengthy quarantines, then soon after the state demanded the puppies be turned over for euthanasia and testing. So many broken hearts. The handling of this puppy rabies situation could have been handled better with more precise, prompt, and empathetic communication.
Q: How many puppies were euthanized?
A total of 12 puppies were euthanized and tested for rabies, including the first one showing signs of illness.
Q: What does rabies testing require?
A lot of people don't realize this, but rabies testing requires that the puppy's heads (yes, severed heads) be sent to labs for testing. That means, you can't just test a living puppy and *only euthanize them if the test comes back positive. Plus, as noted above, the virus can take a while to emerge.
Q: How many of the 12 puppies tested positive for rabies?
Here's where it gets complicated because of how the rabies virus works its way through the body and into the brain. I'm going to share the full answer from the Colorado Dept of Public Health below, but the tl/dr answer is this:
- 2 of the 12 puppies, including the sick one, tested positive for rabies.
- 3 other initial tests came back inconclusive by the first lab and were sent on to the CDC for further testing.
- It's possible those 3 puppies had rabies infections that had not yet reached the brain.
- Also, the rescue posted on social media that none of the other puppies tested positive, and that it not true. People corrected them in the comments, but at last check, the group's post still included inaccurate information.
FULL ANSWER FROM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN COLORADO:
The Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory conducted tests on 12 puppies, resulting in two positive and three inconclusive results. The first positive in a puppy clearly showed evidence of the disease and was confirmed positive by CDC. CSU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab sent three inconclusive specimens and a positive specimen to the CDC for further analysis, per typical protocol, and the CDC determined those specimens to be negative.
When we see discordant results it means that one lab may interpret a test as positive while a second may interpret samples in the same specimen as negative. This can happen for a variety of reasons.
The first lab harvests the tissue that is most likely to have virus in it (to maximize sensitivity) and if there is very little virus in the tissue, the second lab may not detect it in a sample from different tissue. A delay between sample collection and testing may add to the possibility of tissue (and therefore viral) degradation. This may be more likely to happen when less virus is present, as may occur when testing is performed early in the course of an infection.
A negative result indicates that the rabies virus was not present in the brain at the time of testing, meaning the animal was not infectious, or capable of spreading rabies. However, the rabies virus infects the brain through the body’s nerves where it travels to the spinal cord, and eventually the brain stem and cerebellum. This process can be slow, meaning that the virus could have been present in the peripheral nerves but the animal would not show symptoms, and testing the brain would show a negative result.
Because rabies is such a serious disease, when there is a preliminary positive result, our primary role is to protect the public’s health. Therefore, it is standard procedure to take a course of action based on that result. We, therefore, are acting on results that include two positives and 10 negatives. The CDC and CDPHE have been aligned in decision-making and the course of action since the beginning of the situation and, especially, after receiving the test results from both labs.
Q: Did the sick puppy bite anyone?
Yes.
FULL ANSWER FROM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN COLORADO:
Yes. The owners of the dog and the vet who examined the dog were bitten. All of them have started post-exposure prophylaxis. No humans or animals exposed to the puppy have reported symptoms of rabies.
Q: When do dogs with rabies become infectious?
Typically, the virus becomes transmissible to others at least 3 days before symptoms develop.
Q: Why do the other potentially exposed puppies in this puppy rabies situation get to be vaccinated and quarantined instead of euthanized and tested?
tl/dr answer: Because their likely exposure and risk is much lower. However, as noted earlier, it can sometimes take months for rabies to develop.
FULL ANSWER FROM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN COLORADO:
In addition, the ongoing investigation has revealed potential exposure of additional animals at the shelter to the first infectious puppy. In line with national guidance and after consultation with the CDC, we are requesting immediate vaccination of these additional animals and placing them under a modified quarantine protocol. It's important to note that these animals had significantly less exposure to the first infectious puppy compared to the high-risk litter that was repeatedly exposed to their littermate with rabies as well as a likely exposure to a rabid skunk in another state.
Q: What about any of the momma dogs potentially exposed?
For adult dogs with current rabies vaccinations, the typical response to a potential rabies exposure is to boost the rabies vaccination again.
A while back I wrote about another case where dogs (with NOT current rabies vaccination status) were also euthanized after a puppy rabies situation. It really depends on how overdue adult dogs are at the time of exposure and how extensive the exposure is.
- High risk (no vaccination): euthanize OR 180-day quarantine (1/2 at secure facility, ½ at home). Vaccinate on days 0, 21, and 60.
- Middle risk (expired vaccination): 90-day home quarantine. Vaccinate at days 0 and 30.
- Low risk (current vaccination): 45-day home quarantine. Vaccinate at day 0.
Q: How were the puppies exposed to rabies in the first place?
Despite information you may see elsewhere claiming there's no proof or that Texas has no record, it's likely that the original exposure came from a dead / rabid skunk in Texas before the puppies got transferred to Colorado. According to the public health folks in Texas, they've seen a rise in rabid skunks.
FULL ANSWER FROM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN COLORADO:
Texas has reported that a dead skunk was found on the property where the puppies originated. This is likely the original source of the infection.
Q: How many people were exposed to this puppy rabies situation and how many needed rabies vaccinations / treatment?
The email I received from the CO public health team on Aug 15, 2024, says that 115 people were assessed, and 35 of them required post-exposure prophylaxis shots. However, a more recent local TV report says that the number of people needing treatment for rabies exposure is up to 45. Someone I know IRL is among them. It's a big deal to go through.
Q: Have any people shown signs of rabies infection?
FULL ANSWER FROM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN COLORADO:
No humans or animals exposed to the puppy have reported symptoms of rabies.
Q: What did the rescue group do wrong?
Good question. I certainly have my opinions, and there's some online drama around past inspection failures that the group chalks up to being "poor."
Here's how I asked that question of the CO public health folks. "How could this situation been avoided? When bringing in transfers or whole litters like this, what’s the standard timeline for monitoring them for illness and having them in public / around people?"
FULL ANSWER FROM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN COLORADO:
The shelter imported animals in compliance with Colorado animal import regulations. The animals were inspected by a veterinarian in Texas prior to transport and attested to no evidence of infectious disease. Animals can be infected and incubating rabies virus without showing any evidence of disease.
PACFA licensed facilities that import animals for sale or adoption are required to have a Disease Control and Treatment Plan (DCAT) that is reviewed and approved by the Colorado Department of Agriculture that addresses handling animals with illnesses and disease at the source, during transport and quarantine if illness is discovered once the animal arrives at the licensed facility.
Q: When are puppies typically vaccinated for rabies?
Usually around 4 months old and then a year later (before going to an every-three-year schedule).
Q: How can they be transported across state lines without a rabies vaccination certificate?
While some states do require rabies vaccination certificates for older puppies and adult dogs crossing state lines, these official (and unofficial) adoption transport programs around the country transfer young puppies (and kittens) who are not yet vaccinated for rabies. They bring them to other places and organizations where their adoption potential is better.
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