PAWS Chicago released a timeline of events as they work to notify and monitor people who may have been in contact with a dog that tested positive for rabies, the first case of the disease reported in Illinois in decades.
According to the rescue, the dog had been returned to its care after several months living in an adoptive home.
“We have taken proactive steps focused on the health and safety of anyone in contact with the dog. We are working closely with public health authorities to provide all relevant history and clinical information regarding this animal,” the shelter said in a statement. “Animals are beloved members of our families, and we are deeply saddened to learn of this case within our adoptive community. PAWS Chicago has been operating for 27 years – adopting out over 91,000 pets and spaying/neutering over 300,000 pets. This condition is extremely rare, and PAWS Chicago has never experienced this situation before.”
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the dog bit an individual on Dec. 11, and was held in accordance with state law.
Due to the dog’s behavior, it was euthanized on Dec. 18, and tested positive for rabies on Dec. 19 at a Chicago laboratory, officials said.
PAWS Chicago said only those who had direct contact with the animal during the month of December “may have been at risk.”
“We have been in proactive communication with the five individuals at PAWS who encountered this dog during the period of possible contagion,” the shelter said. “No PAWS animals or volunteers were in contact with the dog in December.”
The dog had been vaccinated for rabies in June after it was adopted as part of a litter of puppies transported from a Florida rescue to Chicago in May of this year, according to officials.
The dog had behavioral issues throughout its life, which became worse in December, including growling, snapping, increased barking and anxiety, according to the IDPH press release.
The dog had been vaccinated for rabies and rabies wasn’t initially suspected, but after the animal was euthanized it tested positive via direct fluorescent antibody testing last week.
PAWS Chicago share the following timeline of events regarding the case:
May 26: puppy was received at PAWS Chicago from a rescue partner. Per PAWS protocols, he was brought to the medical center for standard intake and a medical evaluation. During this time, he received all vaccinations recommended, including rabies in June, when he was age appropriate. Following vaccination and medical clearance, he was adopted on July 26. Five months after adoption, following a bite in the home and new onset behavioral changes and safety concerns, the owner returned the dog to PAWS Chicago on Dec. 17. The dog was euthanized on Dec. 18 “based on escalating behavior risk and an assessment by both PAWS veterinarians and our animal behavior team,” the shelter said. Because the owner sustained a bite from this animal prior to his return and euthanasia, a specimen was sent to the Cook County Department of Health for rabies analysis. Rabies was confirmed by Cook County through laboratory testing on Dec. 19.It is currently being investigated what strain of rabies the dog had been infected with, according to officials. Bats are the lone known reservoir for animal rabies in the state, with the last skunk known to have tested positive for the illness in 1998 and the last raccoon to test positive for rabies in 1983.
PAWS Chicago said the U.S. Department of Agriculture will also retest any samples from the rabies vaccination lot used on the dog in June.
Though the dog was vaccinated, it is possible the animal was exposed to a rabid animal prior to that vaccination. The typical incubation period for rabies in dogs is 20-to-60 days, but symptoms can develop up to a year after exposure.
CDPH and IDPH are evaluating people who were in contact with the dog to determine if rabies post-exposure treatment should be recommended.
Any dog that is up-to-date on rabies vaccinations and was in contact with the rabid dog at a doggy day care it was housed at should get a booster shot, and should be quarantined at home for 45 days.
Symptoms include restlessness, aggression, excessive slobbering, lethargy, weakness, hypersensitivity, and hydrophobia, according to IDPH.
Hence then, the article about chicago rescue details timeline after dog tests positive for rabies a first in decades was published today ( ) and is available on NBC Chicago ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Chicago rescue details timeline after dog tests positive for rabies, a first in decades )
Also on site :
- The 2025 Billboard K-Pop Artist 100
- ‘It’s all because of Putin’: RT drops Christmas song spoof (AI VIDEO)
- LA Daily News All-Area girls flag football: Livier Andrade is the player of the year