United States: Last week was very tough for the director of Moms & Mutts Colorado Rescue for Pregnant & Nursing Dogs (MAMCO). State health officials told them to give up all the puppies from a litter because one of the puppies tested positive for rabies after a big adoption event last month in Englewood.
After the July 20 event, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) decided that all the puppies from that litter needed to be taken away.
Musubi’s Quarantine Turns to Euthanasia
This includes a puppy named Musubi, who was taken home by a woman named Jessica Eden. Jessica said she was first told she could keep Musubi in quarantine.
“We went from, ‘Oh, it’s going to be 10 days’ to 120 days, to maybe 90 days, to just kidding — we’re coming to get your dog, and he needs to be put down,'” said Eden about having to give her dog up to be euthanized.
All 11 litter mates were euthanized as the one and only way to test a dog for rabies is during a necropsy.
“One other puppy tested positive. The other 10 puppies were all negative,” said Jones. “You never want to put down a healthy animal, and that goes against what we believe in. So it’s been awful.”
Director Faces New Information Requests
The original court order also asked for the contact information connection to all animals that were at the rescue on the days leading up to the event but recently Jones received another call from state officials.
“They were asking me for a list of names, addresses, phone numbers of everyone who adopted [a dog] since the 20th,” said Jones.
The first round when all of the adopters were being contacted and gave them that option then they took it away and so I’m afraid. I’m genuinely scared, “ said Jones of the offering up more pet parent information.
CDPHE: Only Original Litter Affected
State health officials released a statement Wednesday saying “CDPHE is not even requesting the surrender of any animals outside the original litter of 12 and we are continuing to assess exposures other dogs may have had to those dogs and making recommendations to help them healthy.”
CDPHE officials went to say post-exposure prophylaxis has been recommended to 37 individuals who may have been exposed and officials who may have been exposed and officials expect that number to grow as they interview more people who have come in contact with either of the two puppies that tested positive.
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