by A rabies outbreak has led to the tragic euthanasia of eleven puppies after one of them tested positive following adoption.
The infected puppy is originally from Texas and was part of a litter cared for by Moms and Mutts Colorado, a rescue organization that specializes in pregnant and lactating dogs.
“We have adoption events every Saturday, so it was a pretty normal day. It was a very slow adoption event, which in hindsight is a wonderful thing,” rescue manager Aron Jones told local Fox affiliate KDVR.
Despite the usual health checks and precautions prior to the adoption event in Sheridan, Colorado, the puppy was unknowingly exposed to rabies, likely from a dead skunk found on the previous owner’s property.
The delayed discovery of the rabies case due to lost test results from the skunk’s remains triggered a chain of events that culminated in the heartbreaking decision to euthanize the affected puppies.
A rabies outbreak has led to the tragic euthanasia of 11 puppies after one of them tested positive following an adoption (the dog pictured is not from a euthanized litter)
The infected puppy is originally from Texas and was part of a litter cared for by Moms and Mutts Colorado, a rescue organization that specializes in pregnant and lactating dogs (the dog pictured is not from a euthanized litter).
“When we found out the puppy had rabies, I made a list of everyone. We did contact tracing so every person I knew had come into contact with that puppy,” Jones said.
“Then we contacted everyone and simply told them the diagnosis.”
Jessica Eden and Keith Bryk adopted little Musubi on July 20th and only found out on Wednesday what had happened.
“The rescues contacted us and said, ‘Hey, we just found out that one of the puppies may have been exposed to a contagion. We need you to come over. We’ll have him checked by a vet and give him his first vaccination that day,'” Eden said.
The new dog parents had a glimmer of hope for Musubi, but were informed the next day by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that they would have to quarantine their furry friend for 120 days.
Adoptive parents Jessica Eden and Keith Bryk (pictured), who brought puppy Musubi home on Wednesday, panicked when they were initially quarantined.
“They said since we’ve only had him for two weeks and he’s been in quarantine for a month, it would be reduced to 90 days,” Eden said.
Her world fell apart when Moms and Mutts Colorado told Eden at work that animal control was coming to confiscate and euthanize Musubi.
“I was angry. I was panicking,” Eden said. “I was ready to do whatever it took to protect him.”
The couple expressed frustration with unclear communication from health authorities.
“They never contacted us directly about anything. We found out everything either through MAMCO or through press releases or through things taped to our door, like their threats of jail time and thousands of dollars in fines,” Eden said.
The couple spent their last day with Musubi at the Foothills Animal Shelter so they could have some rest and privacy.
“When I handed Musubi over to this vaccinated person,” Bryk said, “Musubi licked his face. The master started petting him and as he walked away, Musubi’s tail was wagging. He just loved people. He trusted us to hand him over to someone else.”
Jones said she is taking all necessary precautions to ensure others are not infected.
“We have videos of everything, we have all the resources to prove exactly that no one was exposed to the virus,” she said.
Jones said this situation was unpredictable and unavoidable.
The new dog parents had a glimmer of hope for Musubi, but were informed the next day by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that they would have to quarantine their furry friend for 120 days (the puppies pictured were not from the euthanized litter).
The couple spent their last day with Musubi (not pictured) at the Foothills Animal Shelter so they could have some rest and privacy
“This is an extremely rare, extremely isolated incident. There was nothing we could have done to prevent it, there was nothing we could have done to stop it. Now it’s a matter of how we deal with it, and that’s being completely transparent with the public,” Jones said.
The Colorado Department of Health and Environment has recommended rabies post-exposure prophylaxis – a series of rabies vaccinations – for 17 animals that had close contact with the infected puppies.
These include foster families, veterinary staff and animal shelter employees.
The department continues to monitor participants in the adoption event and administers rabies vaccinations when necessary.
