If a street dog bites someone, it is picked up for observation, to check if it has rabies. There is also a rabies helpline; the case is monitored by them until closure.
(All this applies only to BBMP limits.)
So, here is the procedure followed by BBMP. If a dog is suspected of rabies, it is picked up by that zone's ABC centre and kept there under observation for 10 days. Food and water are given, but a rabid dog may not eat. The reason for the 10-day period is that any rabid dog will definitely die within 10 days of showing clinical signs. (In fact, in most cases, I have seen them pass away within 3 days.)
For any dog that dies during this 10-day observation period at the centre, a brain sample is extracted and sent to Dr. Isloor's lab. Meanwhile, the rabies helpline also reaches out to all those who were in contact with the dog, and guides them on taking their shots.
If the dog is alive after 10 days, it is given an anti-rabies vaccination and released back at its original spot. If the dog is fine after 10 days, but not neutered, it is neutered and vaccinated and sent back.
(Read this as well https://tiny.cc/StreetDogFAQs)
So, the anti-rabies vaccine is designed to be effective for 3 years. In most of the developed countries, they follow this schedule. However in India, because there are so many rabies cases in general, and also because the cold chain may not be maintained perfectly, the protocol is to do it every year.
The best way to track vaccination for each dog would be by microchipping, and BBMP even started this a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, some activists objected to this, so the program has been stopped.
So, now, the only way to do it is the old-fashioned way, that is:
1. Call a vet and get them vaccinated privately.
2. During the BBMP annual vaccination drive, ensure that you confine them in some compound and get them vaccinated. Take pics so that you know which ones are done. The team also marks the forehead with green/ blue paint, so you will be able to see this for 2-3 weeks.
*Of course, for either method, it takes two to tango:* You cannot vaccinate them unless you build up a relationship with them.
*Myth #1:* ABC and ARV are animal welfare activities, done to help the dogs.
In fact, both birth control and anti-rabies vaccination are done for _human_ convenience and safety. The dogs would be quite happy to mate and multiply!😀
*Myth#2:* Pet dogs do not get rabies; only street dogs do.
All dogs have the same DNA and the same vulnerability to any disease. Shockingly, there are people in even upscale areas, who don't bother to vaccinate their pet. I know of one such case -- their German Shepherd died of rabies.
And the horrible tragedy was in 2022 -- an engineering student from Chikkaballapur -- his family bought a GSD pup there, and he got play bites and nibbles. He ignored it because he was told the pup was vaccinated. When the pup died a few days later, his brother, a human doctor, also did not realise the significance of this. The boy ultimately died of rabies.
The puppy had got rabies through its mother. And the mother also died, of course. Needless to say, the breeder disappeared. Why do you think I hate breeders so much? They sell a pup at 21 days and con the buyer that they have vaccinated the pup! It's impossible to give _any_ vaccine at this age -- even if you give it, it won't work.
With regular ARV drives in BBMP limits, the dog rabies cases have come down by over 90%. In the West zone, in the Sadashivanagar/ Vyalikaval/ Malleswaram pocket, I don't think there was even one case.
Please remember:
1. Rabies is 💯 fatal but also 💯 preventable. (People are scared of dogs because they think every dog has rabies, and a bite will kill them instantly.)
2. Post-bite ARV shots for human beings are free at all government hospitals and BBMP health centres. Please ensure that your domestic helpers know this. The credit for pushing and clarifying this, and also for making rabies a notifiable disease in Karnataka, goes to @Randeep D New, who is in this group! 🙏
3. *Myth #3:* You can get rabies from dogs alone
Rabies can be transmitted by any mammal, and all mammals are susceptible to rabies.
So, coming to the rabies antibody titre (titer) levels...
_According to World Health Organization guidelines, a rabies antibody level of greater than or equal to 0.5 IU/mL demonstrates an adequate response to vaccination. If the level falls below this value, a booster dose of rabies vaccine may be recommended for people who are at frequent risk of rabies virus exposure._
So, it's a similar concept for dogs. Consider the average street dog. Born to an unvaccinated mother in the streets, this pup's antibody level is zero to begin with. Two rounds of ARV will give this pup full immunity to survive if it is bitten by a rabid dog -- but then, most of them don't get bitten by a rabid dog. So, this pup then grows up and gets vaccinated year after year, so the antibody level may go to even 4-5 (which is 8-10 times) as against the required minimum 0.5.
Even without regular vaccination, the antibody level stays roughly the same, as long as the dog doesn't get bitten by a rabid dog. However, if this dog gets bitten by a _rabid_ dog, the antibody level will dip. This is why a booster dose is given, to bring the antibody level back to a decent high level. a dog bites someone, it is picked up for observation, to check if it has rabies. There is also a rabies helpline; the case is monitored by them until closure.
(All this applies only to BBMP limits.)
So, here is the procedure followed by BBMP. If a dog is suspected of rabies, it is picked up by that zone's ABC centre and kept there under observation for 10 days. Food and water are given, but a rabid dog may not eat. The reason for the 10-day period is that any rabid dog will definitely die within 10 days of showing clinical signs. (In fact, in most cases, I have seen them pass away within 3 days.)
For any dog that dies during this 10-day observation period at the centre, a brain sample is extracted and sent to Dr. Isloor's lab. Meanwhile, the rabies helpline also reaches out to all those who were in contact with the dog, and guides them on taking their shots.
If the dog is alive after 10 days, it is given an anti-rabies vaccination and released back at its original spot. If the dog is fine after 10 days, but not neutered, it is neutered and vaccinated and sent back.
(Read this as well https://tiny.cc/StreetDogFAQs)
So, the anti-rabies vaccine is designed to be effective for 3 years. In most of the developed countries, they follow this schedule. However in India, because there are so many rabies cases in general, and also because the cold chain may not be maintained perfectly, the protocol is to do it every year.
The best way to track vaccination for each dog would be by microchipping, and BBMP even started this a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, some activists objected to this, so the program has been stopped.
So, now, the only way to do it is the old-fashioned way, that is:
1. Call a vet and get them vaccinated privately.
2. During the BBMP annual vaccination drive, ensure that you confine them in some compound and get them vaccinated. Take pics so that you know which ones are done. The team also marks the forehead with green/ blue paint, so you will be able to see this for 2-3 weeks.
*Of course, for either method, it takes two to tango:* You cannot vaccinate them unless you build up a relationship with them.
*Myth #1:* ABC and ARV are animal welfare activities, done to help the dogs.
In fact, both birth control and anti-rabies vaccination are done for _human_ convenience and safety. The dogs would be quite happy to mate and multiply!😀
*Myth#2:* Pet dogs do not get rabies; only street dogs do.
All dogs have the same DNA and the same vulnerability to any disease. Shockingly, there are people in even upscale areas, who don't bother to vaccinate their pet. I know of one such case -- their German Shepherd died of rabies.
And the horrible tragedy was in 2022 -- an engineering student from Chikkaballapur -- his family bought a GSD pup there, and he got play bites and nibbles. He ignored it because he was told the pup was vaccinated. When the pup died a few days later, his brother, a human doctor, also did not realise the significance of this. The boy ultimately died of rabies.
The puppy had got rabies through its mother. And the mother also died, of course. Needless to say, the breeder disappeared. Why do you think I hate breeders so much? They sell a pup at 21 days and con the buyer that they have vaccinated the pup! It's impossible to give _any_ vaccine at this age -- even if you give it, it won't work.
With regular ARV drives in BBMP limits, the dog rabies cases have come down by over 90%. In the West zone, in the Sadashivanagar/ Vyalikaval/ Malleswaram pocket, I don't think there was even one case.
Please remember:
1. Rabies is 💯 fatal but also 💯 preventable. (People are scared of dogs because they think every dog has rabies, and a bite will kill them instantly.)
2. Post-bite ARV shots for human beings are free at all government hospitals and BBMP health centres. Please ensure that your domestic helpers know this. The credit for pushing and clarifying this, and also for making rabies a notifiable disease in Karnataka, goes to @Randeep D New, who is in this group! 🙏
3. *Myth #3:* You can get rabies from dogs alone
Rabies can be transmitted by any mammal, and all mammals are susceptible to rabies.
So, coming to the rabies antibody titre (titer) levels...
_According to World Health Organization guidelines, a rabies antibody level of greater than or equal to 0.5 IU/mL demonstrates an adequate response to vaccination. If the level falls below this value, a booster dose of rabies vaccine may be recommended for people who are at frequent risk of rabies virus exposure._
So, it's a similar concept for dogs. Consider the average street dog. Born to an unvaccinated mother in the streets, this pup's antibody level is zero to begin with. Two rounds of ARV will give this pup full immunity to survive if it is bitten by a rabid dog -- but then, most of them don't get bitten by a rabid dog. So, this pup then grows up and gets vaccinated year after year, so the antibody level may go to even 4-5 (which is 8-10 times) as against the required minimum 0.5.
Even without regular vaccination, the antibody level stays roughly the same, as long as the dog doesn't get bitten by a rabid dog. However, if this dog gets bitten by a _rabid_ dog, the antibody level will dip. This is why a booster dose is given, to bring the antibody level back to a decent high level.
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