On christmas evening I was walking my puppy (who I've had since the beginning of december) around my neighborhood when I came across a nutria.
It was hissing.
My puppy was paying little attention to it as he was behind me and stayed behind me as I began to walk backwards away from the nutria, until lthe nutria jumped and lunged at me at which point my little guy jumped in between me and the nutria and began barking "ferociously".
At this point i turned to basically run away pulling my dog right along with me but the nutria bit him at least once (I know because I heard my dog yelp before I tugged on the leash, though afterward I could not find any marks on him. Also my brother said he saw the nutria bite my dog.) and then the nutria tried to attack by brother at which point my brother kicked it away fairly hard to the middle of the pond where it landed on ice and died.
The point is my puppy is not old enough for the rabies vaccine, hence has not had them, and this seemed like very abnormal behavior for the Nutria as I have never had a problem with them in the past.
I've been researching rabies online and it would appear there is no treatment for dogs, and also no test per say without dissecting the brain. I'm under the impression that realistically my dog should be in quarantine for some period of time at this point but I will not do that.
My puppy is between 9-10 weeks old and this dog is my life.
Is there anybody with any input at all?
Ex:
What are the chances that nutria had rabies?
How long would it take my dog to show signs of rabies?
What can I do?
Update:The nutria is now at the bottom of a bond since the ice has melted, no way to retrieve it...
The thing of it is though, If my puppy has rabies I ALREADY do too I'm sure because he play bites and if i pull my hand back it breaks the skin, like it has.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Not really sure what to tell you, but I will try to answer your questions.
The chances are as good as with any other animal. It's hard to say not being there.
They usually hold dogs in quarantine about 10 - 15 days or so. At least that's what is standard where I live.
As for what you can do, take him to the Vet and let them do an exam. They will tell you where to go from here.
Good luck!
Edit: I agree with taking the dead nutria in to be tested... that's is the way to go. This way they will do the test on it instead of your pup.
It's quite possible the nutria could have been rabid, however rabies can only be transmitted via saliva/blood route. So if the nutria didn't break the puppy's skin, it may not have been transmitted. I understand your concern since the puppy is too young to be vaccinated for rabies, but you should speak with your vet and see if he/she has any recommendations about what to do next. I once heard that rabies can be harbored in a mammal's body for up to two years, but I do not know if that is in fact true. I don't think there is a treatment for dogs -- only prevention.
However, you may not have anything to worry about, and I hope your puppy lives a long and happy life. Sounds like he has a great owner =)
If you can retrieve the body of the Nutria you should call animal control and have it tested for rabies. It depends on what state you live in the incidence of rabies in that area. If your pet has not been vaccinated for rabies it should be quarantined for an appropriate amount of time usually 10 to 14 days. Check with your local animal control. Rabies is a real health hazard to humans and there is no cure. I am not trying to frighten you but you should be careful.
yes- it may have been rabid- see if the body is still there and have animal control pick it up and test it for rabies
no= there is no cure for rabies in dogs- and the only way to test the dog is the brain- so test the rodent if you can.
Rabies shows up with a 2week period- the reason for the quarantine period is that if your pup has rabies- and gives it to you- it can kill you too.
by not following the law on this- you place yourself and others at risk
it can take months for even the slightest signs to appear and if you found no wounds that had punctured the skin he will be fine but you should get the dead nutria to a clinic and ask if it can be tested for rabies
Unless the pup had been bitten by a rabid animal in the last 2 weeks you are fine.