Rabid fox in Lawrence, MA

This is a classic rabid fox story -- growling fox attacking humans in the middle of the day. The news story is pretty good on the details EXCEPT the reporter says in the first paragraph:

Unchecked, the disease can be fatal.

UNCHECKED THE DISEASE IS ALWAYS FATAL!!! Please feel free to write the reporter and tell him/her.
Fox shot after biting man
According to the police report,

"The fox came out from under the deck and started circling me, making low growling noises and showing its teeth,"

Stay away from foxes in general, that's what I say.

Possibly Rabid Dog Killed by Lightning in Tennessee

This is not really awful and perhaps not even about rabies.


Lighting kills dog bitten by raccoon

It happened Aug. 18 when a homeowner awoke to find her female near a dead raccoon. Gilmer County Environmental Health officials later found puncture marks on the raccoon, which they believe were made by the dog in a confrontation with the animal, said Jennifer Moorer, a health district spokeswoman.

The raccoon tested positive for rabies on Aug. 20, and since the pit bull was not current on its rabies vaccination, the owner was ordered to have the dog euthanized or placed in a state-mandated quarantine for six months.

In the meantime, the animal was killed by lightning, so no further action is required, Mr. Moorer reported.

Discuss among yourselves.

Plants can NOT get rabies.

A plant capable of eating rodents has been discovered in the Philippines. It is a pitcher plant, newly named Nepenthes attenboroughii, and very rare.

Rat Eating Plant Discovered

A reader asked me to research what would happen if the plant ate a rabid rat. The answer: the world would have one fewer rabid rat. But I wouldn't eat the plant either way.

Pack of Wild Dogs kills retired philosophy professor and librarian

...But rabies seems not to have been involved.

Wild Dogs Attack, Kill Elderly Georgia Couple
Apparently the wife went out walking, was attacked and killed first; then the husband, who went looking for her, suffered the same fate.

The 65-year-old animal lover was taking an evening stroll last week when she was attacked by the feral dogs, authorities believe. Her husband, Lothar Schweder, a retired professor, fell victim to the pack when he went out looking for her.
A shredded piece of shirt, some strands of hair and bloodstained dirt were all that remained Tuesday where the couple was killed. Paramedics who came to the grisly scene Saturday morning found the suspected attackers standing guard. While it's unclear exactly what happened because there were no witnesses, officials have rounded up 16 dogs they believe were involved.

The dogs showed no sign of rabies. They were just plain aggressive.

There have been at least 20 deadly dog attacks in the U.S. this year, 22 in 2008 and 33 in 2007, said the Humane Society's Goldfarb, compared with about 75 million owned dogs. The National Weather Service says there were 27 lightning deaths so far this year, 28 in 2008 and 45 in 2007.
Dogs that attack also typically are not spayed or neutered, which can contribute to aggression, Goldfarb said. The dogs in the attack are not believed to have been sterilized.

Rabid Horses

Last week saw TWO rabid horse stories -- rare and sad, though neither was particularly awful.

A Maryland horse was put down after being diagnosed with rabies (probably from a raccoon bite)
Harford County Horse Euthanized
The farm is under quarantine.

The horse had had no contact with the public. About 25 feral cats were trapped at the farm and euthanized. Other animals, including several family pets, had current vaccinations and were given boosters

And a Texas horse died of rabies after returning from a rodeo.
Scurry County Horse Dies of Rabies
A health alert was put out for anyone who had come in contact with the horse at the rodeo.

Save the Vultures!

[I'm giving up on the star system until I can find smaller stars]

Vultures Slow the spread of Rabies
The world vulture population is shrinking because of modern ranching and farming techniques.

The advent of 20th century farming replaced wild herd animals, whose carcasses are the staple diet of vultures around the world, with heavily medicated livestock. Diclofenac, a frequently administered anti-inflammatory veterinary painkiller comparable to ibuprofen, has proven to be particularly deadly to the vultures that ingest it secondhand. Though the birds by design have "very strong stomach fluids" that digest even the nastiest of pathogens, this particular drug has proven too much, says Tom Aversa of Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.

But the decline in vultures has meant a rise in rabies!

Countries where vultures are most threatened, such as Nepal, India and Pakistan, rely heavily on vultures for a kind of natural maid service: as they clear out dead animals, the risk of disease is also reduced. Dangerous wild-dog packs that feed on dead livestock have also flourished without competition from the birds, says Todd Katzner of Pittsburgh's National Aviary, leading to a new surge of rabies, particularly in Mumbai. "People don't realize what a key role vultures play in the ecosystem," says Aversa. "[They] prevent disease and recycle."

So the answer: Vulture Awareness!

On Sept. 5 — the first annual International Vulture Awareness Day — zoos and bird societies around the globe will sponsor educational tours and flight demonstrations to get the word out about the plight of the vultures. Unlike blue whales, polar bears and other beloved species in danger of extinction, it may be harder to rally folks to save these prickly feathered birds with bumpy, bald heads, portly physiques and a tendency to be knee-deep in rotting flesh.

Better the rotting rabid flesh be in the belly of a vulture, I say.

Should you drink milk from a cow bitten by a rabid dog?

Apparently not. I missed this story from a few weeks ago.

Rabies Scare in Bhutan

24 July, 2009 - Sixty-five residents of Nganglam in Pemagatshel are being vaccinated against rabies after they drank the unboiled milk of a cow that was bitten by a rabid dog.

Those that handled the rabid cow and ate beef are also receiving the five doses of the human diploid cell vaccine (HDC).

Of the 65 residents, 37 are from Dezema village, which is about a two-hour walk from Nganglam and 28 are from the Nganglam dungkhag area.

Health officials confirmed the outbreak on July 13, when five dogs, a cat and a cow in Dezema village died after being bitten by a suspected rabid dog on July 8. On July 18, another cow had died of suspected rabies in Nganglam.

Rabies is spread through saliva that is spread through a bite or scratch, but better safe than sorry in this case.