FDA approves first diagnostic test for Dengue Fever; California home foreclosures make West Nile and Eastern Equine problem worse; California tick tests positive for Tularemia; Maine Guide joins Wolf vs Elk/Coyote vs Deer debate; and Texans concerned about diseases Feral Hogs transmit. Canada: Pediatric resident in Quebec concerned about Rat Bite Fever cases. Travel Warnings for Barbados.

National 04/08/11 fda.gov: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the first test to help diagnose people with signs and symptoms of dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever, a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics. The dengue virus is

Aedes Aegypti Mosquito

transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. As many as 100 million people worldwide are infected by the virus each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle and bone pain, rash and mild bleeding involving the nose or gums, and easy bruising. Most reported dengue cases in the continental United States occur in people returning from travels to tourist destinations in Latin America, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Dengue is also endemic in the U.S. in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and some U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. Recently, dengue outbreaks have occurred in Hawaii, Texas, and Florida.

Alberto Gutierrez, PhD

The DENV Detect IgM Capture ELISA test detects antibodies to dengue virus in blood samples from patients who have signs and symptoms of dengue. The test will be available for use in clinical laboratories and will assist in the diagnosis of dengue, which can improve patient care and management. The DENV Detect IgM Capture ELISA test is based on technology patented by the CDC and manufactured by Seattle-based Inbios Inc.  “Cases of dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever can be potentially fatal for people who do not recognize the symptoms,” said Alberto Gutierrez, Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics Device Evaluation and Safety in FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “This test will now aid health care professionals in their effort to more effectively diagnose dengue.” The FDA reviewed data for the test via the “de novo” pathway, an alternative path to market for devices that are low to moderate risk and may not require premarket approval (PMA), but are of a new type, and therefore may not be able to be cleared in a “510(k)” premarket notification.

Dengue virus

People who believe they have dengue should immediately contact a health care professional. There are no FDA-licensed vaccines to prevent dengue and no medicines specifically approved to treat the infection. The test should not be used in people who do not show signs or symptoms of dengue. Diagnostic testing for dengue is complicated by the fact that an IgM antibody response to the dengue virus infection is not detectable until 3-5 days after the onset of fever, which can produce a negative test result even though a person has dengue. During this ‘IgM negative window’ the dengue virus is present in the bloodstream. There are currently no FDA-cleared or approved tests for direct detection of dengue virus. This new test shows cross-reaction with other closely related viruses such as those that cause West Nile disease. However, in most patient testing situations found in the United States, a positive test result in a patient with signs or symptoms consistent with dengue should be considered presumptive evidence of dengue.

California 04/11/11 mydesert.com: by Keith Matheny – Home foreclosures breed mosquitoes. Foreclosures, or home abandonments preceding a foreclosure, often leave behind full and no-longer-running swimming pools, hot tubs or fountains. And those can become prime breeding ground for mosquitoes that lay their eggs in water and begin life as aquatic larvae before getting their wings. “We’re in a desert; there’s very little natural standing water,” said Matthew Smith, lead supervisor at the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. “So anywhere you place a large body of water and it becomes stagnant, it’s extremely attractive to mosquitoes.” Mosquitoes can carry harmful diseases for humans, including West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

Green pool

The vector control district identified and treated 1,200 “green pools” valleywide in 2009; 800 last year, Smith said. The district has treated nearly 600 such pools so far this year – and that’s before the agency’s best method of searching for them, an annual aerial inspection of the valley that was slated for Sunday. “We take high-resolution photos of the entire Coachella Valley,” he said. “And everything will be geo-referenced so we can spot a pool that looks suspect, find out where it is and send a technician to verify it.” That’s helpful, La Quinta community safety manager Deby Conrad said, as green pools often aren’t evident even standing just outside of a home. “Especially in gated communities, where the HOAs take care of the yard, you often can’t even tell the house is empty,” she said. Vector district officials tag a suspect property, asking owners to contact them. And most call back and allow inspections and treatment, Smith said.

Vector control personnel don’t drain pools, but instead treat with mosquitofish, a small fish that eats mosquito larvae, or chemical treatments, Smith said. The vector agency has a good working relationship with banks that own properties after foreclosures, Smith said. But in instances where the agency is unable to find an owner or obtain permission for access, it has a blanket warrant issued by a Riverside County Superior Court judge to enter, inspect and treat green pools. “The reason we do this is strictly for public health,” Smith said. “When you start speaking in legal terms and using words like warrant, forced entry, cutting locks it really conjures up this image of a government agency imposing government will. We’re just simply trying to decrease the threat level from mosquito-borne illnesses and ensure the safety of the public.”

California 04/10/11 missiontimescourier.com: County Vector Control

Tick size compared to match head

officials announced today that a Pacific Coast tick found on Feb. 1, near Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve during routine monitoring has tested positive for tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever.” “Tularemia is a bacterial, vector-borne disease that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks, or through direct contact with an infected animal such as rabbits and other rodents,” said Jack Miller, Director of the County Department of Environmental Health. “We recommend using insect repellent to prevent ticks and other insects from biting, especially when hiking in bushy areas. Flea and tick control products should also be used on pets.” Ticks get tularemia by biting infected rabbits, rodents or other animals.

Maine 04/10/11 sunjournal.com: by V. Paul Reynolds – Would it be fair to say

Wolf pack attacking bull elk

that a wolf is to an elk what a coyote is to a deer? A wolf, like a coyote, is a meat-eating predator that team-hunts its prey. An elk, like a deer, is a browsing ruminate, and an ideal, protein-loaded dinner source for an opportunistic predator. If you Google Earth from a Maine deer wintering area to an elk wintering basin in Yellowstone Park, the life and death dramas that play out in these geographically disparate areas are much the same. The Western animals are just larger.

In Maine, coyotes kill deer.

In Yellowstone, wolves kill elk.

The similarities don’t stop here, either. In 1995, there were a record 20,000 elk in the northern end of Yellowstone Park, the largest elk count since U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) started counting heads in 1930. Since 1995, there has been a constantly decreasing number of elk in Yellowstone. In 2010 the USFWS elk census counted just 5,000 elk, a 24 percent decline in one year’s time!

What’s the story? It’s not rocket science. In 1995, USFWS introduced the wolf to Yellowstone. Wolves eat elk. The rest is history. As wolf numbers increased there was a corresponding downward trend in elk numbers. “Recovery” is the term wildlife biologists use to describe the reestablishment of an animal in healthy numbers. Well, thanks to a steady diet of elk steaks, the Yellowstone wolf “recovered” nicely.

Coyote with whitetail fawn

And in Maine, thanks to the coyote that came on the scene back in the 1960s, Maine’s deer numbers have also been on a downward spiral. During this free fall of Maine’s north woods deer numbers, most of our state wildlife biologists caution sportsmen not to jump to conclusions, that deer mortality can be attributed as much to winter severity and habitat as predation by coyotes. Fair enough, but aren’t coyotes a variable that can be “managed” easier than winter snows, or spruce budworm epidemics?

Last year, the Feds began to see the light. But when the USFWS attempted to declare the Yellowstone wolf “recovered” and remove it from the endangered species status, animal rights organizations went to court to prevent a delisting! Out West, sportsmen and ranchers are fed up.

Black bear

In a recent article in Bugle Magazine, Karen Loveless, a Montana wildlife biologist is blaming “predators and drought” for the precipitous decline in Yellowstone elk populations. By predators, she means wolves and bears. A Montana rancher I know who works a good-sized ranch just outside Yellowstone Park just laughs when asked about the effect of the drought on the elk mortality. “Wolves and grizzlies are killing off the elk,” says he “In the spring the bears take a lot of the elk calves and, in winter, the wolves do a job on the winter-weary, rut-weakened elk.”

Of course, in the elk/wolf and coyote/deer debate, the biologists, and other multiple-source theorists, can argue that the predator evidence is purely anecdotal, that a few trapper stories about coyote-ravaged deer in a winter yard don’t really tell us much. They have a point. In Montana or Maine, we have no quantifiable data when it comes to how many elk or deer are killed by predators, whether they be bears, coyotes or wolves.

Lynx

Clearly, though, there is an indisputable cause-and-effect relationship: the more wolves the fewer elk; the more coyotes the fewer deer. So it only follows that the way to have more deer in Maine, or elk in Montana, is to manage the predator populations. In Montana, for the time being, the wolf remains protected at the expense of elk numbers. In Maine, the north woods whitetails are getting more and more scarce, partly due to predation by bears and coyotes. We can’t “manage down” our bear numbers because it has become a critical, rural economic commodity, and we can’t conduct coyote-snaring programs in northwoods deer yards because the state signed off on a consent decree with USFWS not to conduct snaring in lynx habitat.

Believe it or not, there was a time not so long ago, when managing wildlife was predicated mostly on common sense and nuts-and-bolts biology, not politics.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is paul@sportingjournal.com.

Texas 04/11/11 hpj.com: Excerpts – ” ‘Residents of the Plum Creek Watershed area of Hays, Caldwell and Travis counties have expressed concern about diseases feral hogs may transmit to other animals or humans,’ said Jared Timmons, an AgriLife Extension assistant addressing feral hog issues in those counties.”

“Jim Cathey, Ph.D., an AgriLife Extension specialist in wildlife ecology, said the three diseases people should have the greatest cause for concern about relative to feral hogs in Texas are swine brucellosis, psuedorabies and tularemia, but that the animals may harbor other diseases as well. Other diseases potentially caused or carried by feral swine include many infectious or parasitic diseases transmitted by fecal material, said Don Davis, Ph.D., Texas AgriLife Research specialist in parasitic and infectious diseases of wildlife at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University. ‘In many circumstances, traditional livestock, exotic game and white-tailed deer are fed supplements such as protein cubes, pellets or corn,’ Davis said. ’If these supplements are either fed on the ground or in places where feral swine have also been present, then the possibility of fecal contamination of the food is a real possibility.’ “

“ Timmons said that hunters who come in contact with feral hogs may risk exposure to swine brucellosis, tularemia and other diseases. ‘Feral hogs that show signs of illness should not make it onto the menu,’ he said. ‘And to further reduce chances of exposure, a double set of rubber or plastic gloves should be worn while processing and handling meat from feral hogs. Likewise, shield your eyes with glasses, wash your hands often with soap and warm water, and clean tools and surfaces with a dilute bleach solution.’ “  (For complete article go to http://www.hpj.com/archives/2011/apr11/apr11/0331DiseaseinFeralHogs1PIXs.cfm )

Canada:

Quebec 04/11/11 physorg.com: In recent years, pet rats have become quite popular among children thanks to popular rat characters like Remy in the film Ratatouille or Scabbers in the Harry Potter series. However, this new trend places children at risk of contracting Rat bite fever (RBF). Despite its name, no biting is necessary as the infection can be contracted by a simple scratch or even a kiss from the pet. RBF is a systemic infection that carries a mortality rate of 7 to 10 percent if untreated. In Canada, one adult and two pediatric cases of RBF have been reported since 2000. However, between January 2006 and September 2007, the CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital treated one confirmed case and two suspected cases.

“At the Division of Infectious Diseases, we were puzzled and concerned faced with such a high concentration of cases,” says Karine Khatchadourian, a Université de Montréal pediatrics resident who recently published her insights into RBF in Pediatrics & Child Health. The children treated at CHU Sainte-Justine, a boy and two girls, all had a wide range of symptoms: high fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, severe headaches, diarrhea, stiffness and pain in the neck, wrists, hips, knees, as well as hemorrhagic pustules on the hands and feet. The three children were cured with a simple penicillin treatment. “Diagnosing the disease remains very difficult,” says Khatchadourian. “It can easily be confused with various viral or bacterial infections such as meningococcemia, Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever.” “Pediatricians should ask the parents about pets,” says Khatchadourian. “And in the case of rats, they should explain the risks.” She questions whether pet stores and the SPCA should even sell the rodents. In her opinion, parents should stick to cats and dogs and steer clear of rats. Provided by University of Montreal.

Travel Warnings:

Barbados 04/11/11 caribbean360.com: Health authorities in Barbados have renewed their call for public vigilance following at least one death linked to the dreaded dengue fever this year. A recent release issued by the Ministry of Health has revealed that over the first nine weeks of this year, 135 cases of dengue fever were confirmed by laboratory testing and one death was recorded. The ministry also revealed that 570 cases of dengue fever and four deaths were recorded in 2010. This compares to 2008, when during the first nine weeks of the year, two deaths were verified and 212 cases were documented, following an epidemic in 2007.

DNA analysis confirms Missouri Mountain Lions are from South Dakota, and its Timber Wolves are from the Great Lakes states; Smithsonian scientist says domestic cats, pet and feral, are primary predators of young Catbirds; a group in Arizona challenges Yuma’s Feral Cat ordinance; Rabies reports from California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Texas; and Coyote reports from California, and Indiana. Canada: Rabies report from Ontario.

 

 

Eastern Timber Wolves. Photo by Christian Jansky. Wikipedia Commons.

 

Missouri 03/29/11 infozine.com: by Jim Low – (Excerpts) Analysis of DNA and other physical evidence is helping biologists learn more about unusual wildlife sightings that have occurred in Missouri in recent months . . . Results confirm ties to mountain lions from South Dakota and timber wolves from the Great Lakes states . . . The string of sightings began Nov. 13 with the shooting of what appeared to be an unusually large coyote in Carroll County. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) sought DNA tests to clarify the animal’s identity  . . . The first round of testing compared DNA from the 104-pound canine to that of western timber wolves. The tests showed a poor match with western wolves but did confirm the presence of coyote DNA. However, further testing linked the animal to timber wolves.  “Coyotes seldom get bigger than 30 pounds in Missouri,” said MDC Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer. “A coyote weighing more than 100 pounds just didn’t seem credible. Wolves are known to interbreed with domestic dogs and coyotes, so we had further testing done to look for evidence of that, and we found it.”  . . . Missouri’s other recent news about large carnivores consists of six confirmed sightings of mountain lions (Puma concolor), also known as cougars, since November. MDC verified three of those sightings – in Platte, Linn and St. Louis counties . . . Two confirmed sightings involved mountain lions that were shot by hunters, one on Dec. 31 and one on Jan. 15. With ample tissue for testing on these two animals, the DNA results were more revealing. Both had DNA consistent with mountain lions from South Dakota or northwestern Nebraska. Beringer said mountain lions from northwestern Nebraska and the Black Hills region of South Dakota are so closely related, it is almost impossible to distinguish between them. (For complete article go to http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/46929/ )

National 03/18/11 washingtonpost.com: by Peter P. Marra – I love cats. And perhaps I’m being overly generous to myself, but they have a strange affection for me, too. They’ve been among the many pets I’ve had over the years, and they’re a key part of my work as a conservation scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.  I love wild birds, too, but unfortunately so do cats, so much so that, according to some estimates, they kill upward of 500 million songbirds a year in the United States alone.

Gray catbirds offer one example of this devastation. Long-distance migratory

Gray Catbird

birds native to the East Coast, catbirds breed in large numbers in the D.C. suburbs, arriving toward the end of April each year from their wintering grounds in Cuba, the Bahamas and southern Florida. Catbirds nests in shrubs, so our suburbs are especially attractive to them. What these catbirds and many other local songbirds don’t realize, however, is that a new (in evolutionary terms) danger lurks in those attractive bushes — the free-ranging cat. In a recently published study, my Smithsonian colleagues and I demonstrated that cats are the primary predators of young catbirds soon after they leave the nest. In fact, in some areas, less than 15 percent of these fledglings survived, largely because of cat predation. Free-ranging cats have turned the D.C. suburbs into ecological traps for birds — sites that attract them for nesting but ultimately cause high levels of reproductive failure.

The free-ranging domestic cat, both pet and feral, has become by far the most abundant mammalian predator on Earth, numbering 80 million to 120 million in the United States alone. You need only look into a neighbor’s yard or down an alley to find one. Unlike our native bobcat and lynx, free-ranging cats are as invasive and disruptive to native ecosystems as gypsy moths or West Nile virus. Whether they are pets allowed to roam, fully feral animals or feral members of a trap-neuter-release (TNR) colony, domestic cats are by nature predators of small animals such as reptiles, birds and mammals — even when they are well fed. It’s not surprising, then, that they have been responsible for numerous animal extinctions on islands. The millions of free-ranging cats in the United States are inflicting similar devastation on wildlife populations here.

I don’t enter lightly into the long-standing debate about free-ranging cats. On one side are people who think cats have a right to roam freely; on the other are those who believe a cat’s only proper place is inside a home. I come down with the latter because, apart from their impact on wildlife, outdoor lifestyles ironically also have negative consequences for cats. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that free-ranging cats have half the life expectancy of indoor cats. Causes of cat death can be gruesome — getting hit by cars, being mauled by dogs or becoming a meal for foxes and coyotes. Life outdoors also means greater exposure to diseases such as toxoplasmosis and feline leukemia. Cats are now the most common domesticated animal to carry and transmit rabies to humans and other wildlife.

The most egregious example occurs with feral cats living in or near TNR colonies. Maintenance of such colonies remains common in many urban and suburban parks and even some national wildlife refuges. The cats in these colonies, although fed, not only suffer the same fates as those described above for free-ranging ferals but the places in which they live can become devoid of most wildlife. Worse, these colonies encourage the dumping of unwanted cats. While neutering can slow a colony’s growth, it is rarely fully effective because more than 70 percent of the cats must be sterilized. New cats arrive, and many go unneutered and unvaccinated. The result is reproductively active colonies that continue to devastate wildlife.

What’s the solution? It is unreasonable to expect to see the elimination of all free-ranging cats, but better education about responsible pet ownership, combined with effective regulations, could reduce their numbers. Such efforts will require more involvement by government at all levels and the implementation of mandatory licensing, more-engaged animal control programs, neutering and indoor-cat campaigns.  For starters, the effects of TNR colonies need to be made clearer to the well-meaning people who support them. Although people on both sides of this debate feel passionately, there is an urgent need to come together to find common ground. Allowing cats to roam outdoors is no good for people, cats or native wildlife.

Arizona 03/29/11 kswt.com: by Elia Juarez – A group of Yuma residents calling themselves the “Kitty Committee” are challenging the city’s recently enacted feral cat ordinance. Members of the committee say it was unfair for the City Council to pass the ordinance without allowing a public vote, so they plan to man a booth at the Yuma County fair in an effort to collect enough signatures to temporarily overturn the ordinance and try to get it onto the ballot in Yuma’s next election. The group says they are opposed to a section of the ordinance that bans the feeding of stray cats, as well as required rabies vaccines and licenses for cats, saying many people cannot afford them.

California 03/29/11 krcrtv.com: Chico Animal Control and Police Department are looking for a dog that bit a teenager so it can be tested for rabies. Around 4:50 p.m. on Thursday a 16-year-old Chico High School student was running past the post office on Vallombrosa Ave. When she ran past a couple with a leashed, black dog, the dog nipped at her rear end. The girl and her fellow runners did not stop to get the couple’s information. The girl’s t-shirt was torn, but she didn’t realize until later that her skin was broken. The Humane Society needs to locate the dog to verify its vaccination history because Butte County is a rabies area. The couple is described as being in their 50’s. The woman has long gray hair. The dog is medium to large in size with a long hair black coat. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the dog or owners is asked to call Chico Animal Control at 897-4960.

California 03/29/11 marinij.com: by Jessica Berstein-Wax – San Anselmo police were chasing an unusual suspect Tuesday morning: a large coyote that ran off with a family’s pet cat in its mouth. Around 8:45 a.m., the owner of a home near Madera Avenue and Sequoia Drive called police and reported seeing the coyote with the family cat, police said. The homeowner had clapped to scare the wild animal away. “They tried to see if they could scare it by clapping loudly … but I guess it scampered off,” police Cpl. Julie Gorwood said. Officers located the coyote minutes later wandering in the area but haven’t recovered the feline, which is presumed dead, Gorwood said. There were about 36 coyote sightings reported to the Marin Humane Society between Jan. 1 and mid-March, society spokeswoman Carrie Harrington said.  “If you were to identify hot spots per se, definitely Terra Linda, Marinwood — we’re getting the most reports from there,” Harrington said. “Most of our reports are just sightings.” In February, Marinwood resident Jim Thompson said a coyote prowling the neighborhood killed two of his cats, a gray long-haired female called Alias and a fluffy yellow male named Big Boy. A Lucas Valley woman reported that a coyote with a broken front leg killed another cat in her neighborhood. Harrington confirmed there have been a few reports of a limping coyote or a coyote with an injured leg coming out of San Rafael and Novato in recent weeks. “There’s always speculation if somebody’s domestic cat is missing,” Harrington said. “That drums up suspicion. … What we do is we usually send an officer to patrol the area where the sighting is reported. Usually by the time somebody gets there, that coyote is nowhere to be seen.”  The humane society generally advises residents to keep domestic cats indoors, walk dogs on leashes and avoid feeding pets outdoors, especially in areas with wildlife such as coyotes and mountain lions. Experts say that if a coyote approaches you, try to make noise and appear large by shouting and waving your arms. The Marin Humane Society tracks all wildlife sightings and is asking anyone who sees a coyote or mountain lion to call 883-4621.

Indiana 03/29/11 wthr.com: by Emily Longnecker – (Excerpts) “People in a quiet Carmel neighborhood are on edge after a vicious coyote attack on a family pet. The coyote snatched a dog right outside a home near 116th Street and Spring Mill Road. If cats have nine lives then a little dog named Hilo has at least two.” “The dog has had surgery and now has dozens of stitches. ‘Fortunately, his wounds were superficial. They were mainly through the skin,’ says Hilo’s veterinarian, Dr. Thomas Mullins, with the Companion Animal Medical Center in Carmel. Mullins says he rarely treats animals that survive a coyote attack. But believes you could see more with more development. ‘Coyotes have adapted to the changing environment. It’s no longer a rural area. This is suburban and they’re adapting,’ says Dr. Mullins. According to the Department of Natural Resources, in rural areas, state law allows landowners to shoot or trap coyotes – even out of season – if they’ve become a problem. But it’s within city limits where people’s hands are tied. City law won’t allow homeowners to shoot a coyote. DNR experts recommend using an air horn to scare the animals away. Stetler hoped the city or county would handle the job.”

Massachusetts 03/29/11 patch.com: Medfield – Animal Control officer Jennifer Shaw told Medfield Patch a teenage boy was bitten on the leg by a medium size, black dog with curly fur and droopy ears Tuesday around 4:40 p.m. ‘This dog was being walked on Main Street by the railroad crossing on a black flexi-leash by a black male, approximately 5-foot-10 with a black mustache,” Shaw said. “This man was wearing a dark coat and a baseball cap. In order for [the teenager] to avoid a series of painful rabies vaccinations, we need to learn of this dog’s vaccination history.” If anyone knows the identity of this dog, please call Animal Control at (508) 359-2315 ext. 3146.

Pennsylvania 03/29/11 lehighvalleylive.com: by Alyssa Passeggio – Allentown police fatally shot a skunk after it bit a resident on Saturday, accoThe skunk was observed behaving oddly in the 2000 block of East Columbia Street before officers killed it, said the release from the mayor’s office. The skunk was sent for lab testing, which confirmed it was rabid. The bitten resident is undergoing rabies vaccinations and is under medical care, the city reports. Allentown Health Director Vicky Kistler says the discovery should remind pet owners to be sure their animals are vaccinated.

Texas 03/29/11 jacksboronewspapers.com: by Pam Hudson – (Excerpt) Jacksboro Police Chief Terry McDaniels confirmed that a skunk killed by a dog Wednesday on Cactus Lane was rabid. The dog is being held in quarantine for 90 days, but so far, does not exhibit signs of rabies. There have been no other cases of rabies in Jacksboro, but McDaniels knew of one confirmed case in Palo Pinto. (For complete article go to  http://www.jacksboronewspapers.com/index.asp?Story=3814 )

Canada:

Ontario 03/29/11 therecord.com: by Brent Davis – Kitchener — The next few weeks aren’t looking all that pleasant for Matthew Vollmer. The 14-year-old is facing a series of rabies shots after being bitten by a dog over the weekend. But there’s still hope that he can cut the treatments short, if he and his parents can confirm that the dog has its vaccinations. The Vollmers are trying to locate the owner of the German shepherd-type dog, which was being walked by an older teen on Sunday afternoon in the area of Keewatin Avenue, Misty Street and Denlow Street. The teen was also walking a Rottweiler-type dog. Both animals were leashed. Matthew, an avid baseball player and martial arts student, was out running near his home when he came upon the other teen and the dogs. “I went to pass him on the right,” Matthew said. “The German shepherd-looking dog lunged at me and bit my thigh.” As Matthew instinctively pulled away, the teen apologized and asked if he was OK. The twin bites hadn’t torn Matthew’s pants. “I thought I was fine.” Matthew went home, not thinking about asking for the owner’s information. But he discovered the dog had left a jagged, seven-centimetre-long bite mark on his upper right thigh, and he was bleeding. The family went to Grand River Hospital, and filled out an animal bite form for the public health department. His father Dave also called Waterloo Regional Police. The Vollmers and police have knocked on doors in the area, but haven’t found the owner.  “Every time we get a lead, it turns out to be nothing,” said Matthew’s mother, Brenda.  Public health has since contacted the family, outlining the series of rabies shots required if the animal’s vaccination status isn’t known. After two shots on Wednesday and one on Saturday, Matthew will have three more shots over the next three weeks. But the shots could be discontinued if they locate the dog’s owner.  “That’s what we’re hoping, that he doesn’t have to finish the shots,” Dave Vollmer said. “All we want is to get the dog’s history.” The dog-walker, about 16 years old and approximately five feet six inches tall, was wearing a black hoodie. Anyone with information is asked to email davidvollmer@sympatico.ca.