May 22, 2008

METHUEN, Mass. -- Anyone that may have come in contact with a dog at a Massachusetts animal shelter which was adopted out with rabies is being warned to consult their family doctor.

The warning comes from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the state’s Department of Public Health.

The 16-month-old Golden Retreiver-Wheaton Terrier mix, named Chewy, was available for adoption at the Methuen Animal Care and Adoption Center from April 7 through April 15.

Chewy did not demonstrate signs of having rabies when he was adopted from the shelter. He was returned April 22 for biting his new owner, and was euthanized for overt aggressive behavior.

As part of that process, after being euthanized Chewy had a test for rabies that turned up positive.

“They’ve done further testing that has shown that it was actually a weak positive,” said Heather Robertson, community outreach coordinator with the ACAC in Methuen. “With a weak positive, he may or may not have been actively shedding the disease.”

“But our course of action is still to make sure that we’re reaching out to anyone who possibly came in contact with him while he was available for adoption at our shelter,” Robertson told Pet Pulse.

Anyone who may have been bitten or scratched by Chewy, or had contact with his saliva could be at risk of contracting the disease. Some people have come forward expressing concern that they may have been exposed to the dog, though Robertson says she’s unsure of how many.

“We received a number of calls and questions, as have the Massachusetts Department of Public Health,” Robertson said. “And we are encouraging them to speak with their physician first.

“Everyone should be consulting with their own physician to get appropriate guidance. We’re not human medical professionals.”

Prior to Chewy’s adoption, the Methuen ACAC staff confirmed that his rabies vaccinations were current, Robertson says. She described an instance of an animal being adopted with rabies as “extremely rare. It’s nothing that I have heard of.

“He was vaccinated twice prior to coming to our shelter. Our shelter staff confirmed the vaccinations with the previous owner’s vets. And he was current at all times.”

In very rare instances a rabies vaccination can fail. The health department is still investigating what happened in this case, says Robertson.

“So the assumption could be made that one of those vaccines might have failed, but they are looking into that,” she said. “There’s really no way to tell at what point in his previous history he came into contact with rabies.

“From what I’ve been told, I think it’s going to be a case of interest for a lot of people in the veterinary medicine world.”

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