A heads up for young veterinarians

  Dr. Mahfoud Brahimi, Institut Pasteur d’Algérie, and a member of AfroREB shares some of his veterinary experience with rabies.

 

“In the course of my career, I have had to deal with dog owners who came to me to have their dog vaccinated against rabies but in rather suspicious circumstances. What alerted me was the way they introduced themselves and how they treated the dog that they dragged behind them on a rough chain. The dog obviously lacked basic health care and was underfed. More often than not, it was a mangy dog, thin and afraid, and covered in ticks and fleas. It pulled against the chain: it had done something wrong, had been punished and mistreated, and was trying to escape from the vet. Generally speaking, such a dog roams around a neighborhood or a farm and is fed by one or more families.

This is the type of behavior that should alert the veterinarian and encourage him to question the owner of the dog: Is the dog sick? No. Then why are you here? To vaccinate him against rabies. Where is his record of vaccinations? He doesn’t have one. And the other vaccinations against Carré’s disease, leptospirosis, parvovirus? No, he doesn’t need those. He’s fine; he’s never sick. Did he bite someone? No. Are you sure? I swear I’m telling the truth, Doctor. You know what? I’m going to visit the neighborhood, and if I find out that someone had a problem with your dog, you are going to be in a lot of trouble. Finally he sits down and explains: Doctor, believe me, he hardly even scratched this little kid who just wouldn’t stop teasing him.

The dog had bitten a child, and threatened by the child’s father, the “potential owner” had decided to vaccinate the dog and then show the certificate to the father to calm him down and make him forget about the incident.

I decide not to vaccinate the dog (that only “licked” the child) against rabies, but to put it under observation. I also insist on seeing both the child who has been bitten and his father, and explain to him that as rabies is fatal, he must take his child to the antirabies center for treatment. It’s also important to identify any other people bitten by the dog and inform them as to what they should do.

What would have happened if the dog had been simply vaccinated as his “owner” wanted? The child and the other people who had been bitten by the dog would not have come to the antirabies center, which would have had life-threatening consequences if the dog had had rabies. The antirabies vaccination might have slowed down the symptoms of disease if this animal had been infected by the rabies virus when he had been presented at the clinic. The owner could brag about his dog being vaccinated against rabies and pretend that it presented no risk at all. The dog would then have continued to play with the children, putting them at risk of being bitten, while their parents would not be aware of the potential risk the dog presented. If, at the end of the observation period, the dog is still healthy, he should then be vaccinated against rabies.

If the veterinarian had not sensed that something was wrong, and had vaccinated the dog that had bitten the child, then they should a) find the dog and its “owner”; b) confiscate the vaccination record; c) put the dog under observation; and d) find the people who had been in contact with the dog and send them to the nearest antirabies center. If at the end of the period of observation, the animal was in good health, the vaccination record could then be given back to the owner.”

The illustration shows a poster designed by Dr Brahimi's son, Rostom Jamil, chosen by his teachers to educate the class about rabies.