Fall 2010

Rabies
Author: Marion Beaudry

The morning of May 4th, 2010 started as it usually did, with morning chores at 4:30 AM before going to work. When we entered the female’s barn to start our chores and found one of last year’s cria humming constantly, she seemed very nervous and she had blood on her face. We caught her to examine her and found a half-inch wound on the bridge of her nose. Supplies were retrieved from the house to clean the wound and our little patient seemed more at ease now that she was with us. Once she was cleaned up and the wound treated, we checked the rest of the herd in the pasture to make sure the other animals were okay. It was still dark outside and a flashlight was necessary but there was something in the pasture that had everyone’s attention. The alpacas were all in the back corner looking down at something. When we got to the area that held their attention, a muskrat was found with the alpacas circling it. We can only assume that our little cria’s curiosity got the better of her and got her to close to the muskrat and he bit her. The muskrat was quickly dispatched with a shovel and buried.

Due to the hour, we had to wait to call the vet. When the office opened at 8:00am, a call was placed. Doc was in the office and I explained what happened, I was told to bring in the carcass for rabies testing and to put the cria in quarantine. Both my husband and I left work immediately. Mike had to dig-up the carcass and bring it to the clinic and I had to set-up the quarantine pen with my neighbor. Doc told me we would have the results of the rabies test in 24 hours. He started the cria on an antibiotic regimen for 5 days, she was given 1.5cc Naxcel once a day, the wound was washed, and triple antibiotic ointment was applied daily.

Knowing that we would have the results of the rabies test in 24 hours we put Mom in with her cria so she would have company. We are fortunate to have several pens that serve as quarantine areas so the animals had a nice piece of pasture to graze on and they could still be part of the herd but far enough from them to be safe. We were confident that in 24 hours they would be able to re-join the herd.

Unfortunately, the rabies test was inconclusive due to the lack of brain tissue. A muskrat is considered a low risk animal for rabies however, since the test could not be run the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture Bureau of Animal Health has to assume the animal was rabid. Since our little cria had direct contact with the muskrat, she was now under strict quarantine and isolation for 6 months and so was her Mom.

Later that evening the town Animal Control Inspector came to check our farm to insure that the isolation or quarantine set-up met all the requirements needed by the state. He encouraged us to speak with the head of the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture Bureau of Animal Health in Boston to obtain more information about rabies protocol. Here are some important facts you should know:

Facts about Rabies:

" All mammals, including humans, are susceptible to rabies. " Infected animals may carry the virus for six months before exhibiting clinical signs of the disease. " Rabies can take one of two forms. The more common “furious” rabies usually includes convulsions, muscular incoordination, extreme irritability, frenzied behavior and foaming at the mouth. In “dumb” rabies, the animal usually becomes depressed and may hide. Paralysis of the jaw is followed rapidly by general paralysis. The early stage of both forms is marked by abrupt changes in behavior in the animal, such as increased anxiety, depression, irritability or even becoming more affectionate. Some will display attack-like behavior while others appear sick or dazed. After clinical signs are observed, the animal usually dies within two to seven days. " Skunks, raccoons, foxes and bats are the most common carriers of the rabies virus. " When an animal comes in contact with a rabid animal, the rabies virus is introduced through bite wounds and concentrates in the nervous system. Symptoms appear within 24 weeks, although a 38 week period is most common. Once clinical signs appear, the animal usually survives for a week or less. " The virus cannot be transmitted via blood, urine or feces. The virus is transmitted though saliva although scavengers can contract the disease from eating infected dead animals. " Rabies vaccines have been used successfully for many years to protect dogs, cats and other domestic animals however it’s an “off label “ vaccine for alpacas and not recognized by the state.

We are sharing this experience in the hopes that you will be prepared if the same situation happens on your farm. We also wanted to offer the following suggestions:

1. If you see an animal acting oddly and rabies is suspected, call the Police or Animal Control to dispatch the animal. The only way to determine if an animal has rabies involves testing the brain tissue. If the animal is disposed of improperly the brain tissue might be damaged and the test will be inconclusive forcing the State to assume it’s rabid so never damage the head or neck area. 2. Although many people don’t have space for a quarantine area, it is so important to have a place to put an animal where it can survive, comfortably, for an extended period of time at a moments notice. If you don’t have a quarantine area, plan to put one in, I can’t stress this enough. 3. Even though the rabies vaccine is “off-label” and not recognized by the state, vaccinate your animals yearly. 4. If we had known that the rabies test would be inconclusive, we would have chosen another cria to be with her instead of Mom. She had no other cria to play with and Mom was anxious being away from the herd. I guess we see that clearly now but at the time it was the logical thing to do. Our advice here is to think things through for all scenarios. 5. If we had gone into the barn a little later than we did on the morning of May 4th, we would have never known what caused the wound on our crias nose. Vigilant observation is so important to maintain the health and safety of your herd.

To date, I’m happy to report, cria and Mom are doing just fine.

Marion Beaudry Tall Grass Farm Whately, MA 01373

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