WHO LET THE DOGS OUT

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)