According to the Colorado Department of Health, one of the puppies tested positive for rabies, so people who attended the adoption event will need to get tested for rabies.
DENVER — Attendees at a puppy adoption event in Sheridan are being asked to contact the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) after they may have been exposed to rabies.
A puppy adopted at the Moms and Muts of Colorado (MAMCO) pregnant and nursing dog rescue event on Saturday, July 20, tested positive for rabies on Wednesday and was euthanized, the Colorado Department of Health announced.
The only way to test for rabies is to euthanize the animal, the department said. The release said this is the first time a dog has tested positive for rabies in Colorado since 2020.
Health officials are asking attendees who came into contact with “July the German Shepherd mix puppy,” also known as “Celebrity Kids’ puppy,” to contact health officials for testing. Animals that have already been vaccinated against rabies may need to receive a booster shot if they become infected.
How to contact the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment:
If you are calling during regular business hours, please call the CDPHE hotline at 303-692-2700. If you are calling outside business hours, on weekends, or on holidays, please call 303-370-9395.
What happens to a human who is infected with rabies?
After conducting a risk assessment, public health officials recommended post-exposure prophylaxis, a “safe and effective method of preventing rabies transmission” in humans, to 17 people who had close contact with the infected puppy, according to the release. Health officials will continue to test people who attended the adoption event and provide post-exposure prophylaxis as needed.
What happens to other animals that are infected with rabies?
The rabies-positive puppy was originally from Texas and had attended the MAMCO event with 11 unvaccinated siblings, according to the release. Because there are no approved post-exposure prophylaxis products for animals, unvaccinated animals that become infected with rabies must be euthanized or quarantined in a facility separate from humans and other animals for 120 days, CDPHE said.
Because “strict quarantine is not possible,” public health officials are contacting people raising infected puppies and asking them to surrender them in accordance with National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians guidelines.
The health department said efforts are underway to identify possible sites of exposure to other animals.
What is rabies?
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system and is usually transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, according to CDPHE. Vaccines are available to prevent rabies in dogs, cats and ferrets.
The incubation period is usually three to six weeks, but can last from a few days to several months in humans and animals, depending on how the disease is transmitted, the health ministry said.
Although Colorado reports an average of 50 positive rabies specimens each year, there have been no human cases of rabies since 1931.
