WHO LET THE DOGS OUT
Dogs
have been receiving several mentions in the media recently, howbeit for various
reasons. From Buhari, the dog who earned its painful death because of the name
it was given by its owner, to the one that got several iPhone 7 from its
Chinese owner (unbelievable right?). I have decided to share with you the
encounter of a NEPA official with Sunkanmi’s dog, Roxie. This will lead me to
address Rabies as a major societal fear, in cases of dog bites.
The NEPA officials are staff of the
Electricity providers who go to different houses taking readings from
Electricity meters, to calculate the bills and distribute them to consumers.
(Definition is for the posh individuals who were born into the era of prepaid
meters). Nepa officials are often prone to public humiliation while discharging
their duties.
On this faithful day- rather unpleasant
for the NEPA official, he walked into Sunkanmi’s compound without knocking on
the gate. Calling out to the occupants of the house, it was Roxie (A female German
Shepherd Dog) that decided to answer his call since she was the only one at
home. Roxie was a very smart dog and was
also unfriendly with strangers. I had known her for 3 years, yet I never
approached her despite my frequent visits to their house. She was that brutal.
On seeing the monstrous-looking dog
baring its teeth, its growling mixed with fearful barking, he made an attempt
to run out of the compound. He was almost successful, but suddenly the dog
grabbed the helm of his trousers and was determined not to let it go, just like
the biblical sick woman who touched the helm of the Lord's garment. Pulling at
the trousers like an Olympian going for gold, Roxie ripped the trouser into
pieces. The NEPA man had his boxers to thank; else he would have had to return
to his office without any piece of clothing covering his groin. The experience
was really humiliating.
(The NEPA officials responded to this event
by disconnecting light supply to this house for a very long time. While the
focus of this article is not to determine if this action is right or wrong, it
is important that we deduce salient lessons from this event.
Dog bites often come with lots of dire consequences
ranging from large areas of wounds on the body, to fractures, to the emotional
trauma. The worst fear of most victims is Rabies disease. You don’t want to
picture yourself, as it is often said, barking like a dog in 7 days’ time.
The rabies
disease is caused by a virus that invades the central nervous system and
disrupts its function. It is transmitted via the saliva of infected animals and
Yes, Dog bite is a major pre disposing factor to Rabies disease. Each year,
rabies kills more than 55,000 people around the world especially in Asia and
Africa. Amazing that such numbers of people die from dog bites isn't it?
An individual becomes
infected with the virus when bitten by an infected animal or contact with the
saliva of an infected animal whether alive or dead. You cannot get rabies from
the blood, urine or faeces of an infected animal or from just touching or
petting an animal.
Symptoms of rabies
disease include Fever, headache and general discomfort. This can then progress
into anxiety, confusion, abnormal behaviour and hallucinations. The chances of
contacting rabies disease from an individual are extremely low except in rare
cases of organ reception from an infected person.
DOGS AND
CHILDREN
Research has shown that children less than 15 years
of age are the most frequent victims of dog bites. This is explained in the
fact that children are not seen as authority figures by most dogs and most of
them enjoy teasing dogs. As a child, I was never the type to let a sleeping dog
lie. I often enjoyed taunting dogs by imitating their barks or throwing items
at them. It brought a mixed feeling of bravery and terror, though I was never
bitten, other kids were not so lucky. Children often stare at dogs or approach
them without caution which often startles dogs. The dogs react by barking and most
children begin to scream and run. This is often interpreted by dogs as a prey
trying to escape and they engage in a hot pursuit and inflict multiple bites on
the children.
To prevent Rabies from dog bites, it is important to
educate children with the following points;
·
Do not approach
unrestrained dogs even if you know the owner.
·
Don’t scream and run
away when you see dogs. Try to maintain a calm disposition. If you must
retreat, do it calmly.
·
Don’t touch, carry or
hug strange dogs except when you have been permitted by the owner and this must
be under his/her watchful eyes.
·
Don’t taunt or tease
dogs. Let the sleeping dog lie
·
Lower your voices
around dogs and avoid disturbing dogs when they are eating, sleeping or ill.
Dogs could bite even their owners when they are in pain.
RESPONSIBILITY
OF DOG OWNERS
Dog owners also have a lot of responsibility to
prevent cases of dog bites. They should also do the following:
·
Ensure timely and
adequate vaccination of all dogs.
·
Dogs should not be left
alone with children that are less than 10 years old.
·
When living in a shared
compound, dogs should be restrained or housed at a location that is not easily
accessible to strangers especially children.
·
For prospective dog
owners who have little children, it is important to socialise your puppies with
children. Let the dog get used to staying around children.
·
Have an indicator
hanging outside your compound to notify visitors that you own a dog.
What Should I do
when bitten by a dog?
·
Wash the site
thoroughly with soap and water for at least 5 minutes.
·
Contact a qualified
health care provider. He will ask you questions like;
o Do
you know the owner of the dog and what is the vaccination status?
o Circumstance
of Bite incident – did the bite occur because the dog was provoked or
unprovoked
o Does
the dog have a history of aggressive behaviour, recent presence of wild animals
in the neighbourhood?
o
He will then decide on
the treatment regimen to follow. This often entails getting an HRIG and rabies
vaccine shot on Day 0- day of bite. You will subsequently receive 3 other shots
of rabies vaccine on days 3, 7 and 14 following the bite. For individuals that
have received Pre-exposure vaccine, HRIG will not be administered. You will
only require two shots of Rabies Vaccine on day 0 and day 3.
It is important that we
ensure prompt vaccination and adequate socialization of our dogs. I am sure you
don’t want to have your power supply disconnected like my friend Sunkanmi.
Dr Aderounmu O.A (D.V.M)
