State health officials and local police are alerting the public in case anyone was exposed to a small dog found recently in Pauls Valley that was later determined to have rabies.
The alert is for an adult female Chihuahua with black fur and a white muzzle found a week ago near the Pauls Valley Animal Shelter.
Testing completed this past weekend showed the dog, which bit three animal control workers, had rabies.
Officials want to get the word out that anyone who was in direct contact with the dog could have been exposed to the rabies virus and should immediately seek medical treatment.
“This is an isolated incident. We want the public to know this is not an epidemic. It’s an isolated thing,” Pauls Valley interim Police Chief Scott Robbins said Monday.
“We also want people to know that if anybody was exposed to this dog they need to seek treatment immediately,” he said.
A similar alert was also given by Larry Weatherford of the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
“We want to alert the public that anyone who’s been in contact with this Chihuahua should seek treatment,” Weatherford said.
The Chihuahua was reported found at the front gate of the shelter, at 300 E. Airport Industrial Road, at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The dog had no other distinctive markings with the exception of the white fur on its muzzle.
How the dog got to the shelter’s gate remains a mystery.
“The dog was found outside of the shelter without notification,” Robbins said. “We don’t know if somebody dropped it off there or if it came up there on its own. We don’t know how the dog got there.”
The animal was then taken by an animal control official into the shelter. According to Robbins, at some point the dog “nipped” the worker, which meant its bite barely broke the skin.
During a required quarantine period, the dog also bit two other workers resulting in what were described as “minor” injuries.
A few days after being quarantined the dog began behaving strangely. It was eventually euthanized and sent to the Oklahoma Department of Health for testing, which determined it had rabies.
Even with the minor injuries the three workers began a series of rabies vaccinations last weekend, Robbins said.
Robbins urged people to report any strange behavior by dogs, stray or not.
“As always, if anybody sees an animal acting strangely then they should contact the police department.
As for this particular situation, public health officials ask anyone who was in direct contact with the Chihuahua to contact the OSDH epidemiologist on call at (405) 271-4060 or (800) 234-5963 to determine if they need to receive treatment to prevent rabies.
Persons who were bitten by the dog or had saliva get into a cut or fresh wound on the skin or mucous membranes (eyes, lining of the nose, or mouth) may have been exposed to the rabies virus.
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