People who love dogs have expressed outrage over the recent slaughtering of 50,000 dogs in rural China last month.
August 10, 2006 (Press Release) --
People who love dogs have expressed outrage over the recent slaughtering of 50,000 dogs in rural China last month. In the Yunnan province of China, Mouding County government workers clubbed and used pitchforks to stab to death 99% of the dogs in the county in an admittedly drastic measure to contain a recent rabies outbreak among dogs and humans.
Rabies is deadly disease lethal to dogs. Most troubling is the fact that humans who are bitten by infected dogs can become infected themselves and die. With no known cure to prevent human death from rabies, government officials in China and the U.S. take the threat seriously.
Criticism of the Chinese government on their problem with dogs has been widespread.
Even the China's government sponsored news media, normally hesitant to criticize official government actions, has been highly critical of China's policy on dogs.
At the heart of the problem appears to be insufficient use of vaccinations among dogs particularly in rural areas of China.
On the issue of dogs and dog health, the Chinese government officials indicate over 70 percent of rural households have dogs, but only 3 percent of those dogs have received dog vaccinations.
The Humane Society of the United States has offered to help the Chinese government deal with it's problems with dogs by offering to help Chinese officials establish a national vaccine program for dogs.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, stated in a letter to China's ambassador to the United States that "There are far better ways of addressing rabies control to promote the safety of your citizens, the reputation of China and the welfare of dogs."
According to Dr. Debra Primovic, Veterinarian and resident dog expert of leading dog health website www.petplace.com/dogs.aspx the U.S. protocol for handling rabies outbreaks among dogs is very different.
"In the United States, when a vaccinated dog bites a human being, those dogs are quarantined for 10 days to determine if the dog was capable of infecting the bite victim with rabies. Dogs that are contagious will typically die within that time period containing the spread of the disease."
In addition, Dr. Primovic explains that the primary difference between U.S. and Chinese policy on dogs and dog health is in the area of dog vaccines.
"Dogs in the U.S. are vaccinated at a much higher rate than in China. Combined with quarantine procedures, a mass killing of 50,000 dogs is unnecessary in the United States and among countries that adopt similar policies."
Dr. Primovic overseas a team of veterinarians at internet company Pet Place that helps educate owners of dogs about the importance of dog vaccines and dog health.
Her team has recently published a free consumer awareness guide for owners of dogs on the topic of dog rabies and dog vaccines which can be found at:
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/rabies-vaccine-recommendations-in-dogs/page1.aspx
Rabies is deadly disease lethal to dogs. Most troubling is the fact that humans who are bitten by infected dogs can become infected themselves and die. With no known cure to prevent human death from rabies, government officials in China and the U.S. take the threat seriously.
Criticism of the Chinese government on their problem with dogs has been widespread.
Even the China's government sponsored news media, normally hesitant to criticize official government actions, has been highly critical of China's policy on dogs.
At the heart of the problem appears to be insufficient use of vaccinations among dogs particularly in rural areas of China.
On the issue of dogs and dog health, the Chinese government officials indicate over 70 percent of rural households have dogs, but only 3 percent of those dogs have received dog vaccinations.
The Humane Society of the United States has offered to help the Chinese government deal with it's problems with dogs by offering to help Chinese officials establish a national vaccine program for dogs.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, stated in a letter to China's ambassador to the United States that "There are far better ways of addressing rabies control to promote the safety of your citizens, the reputation of China and the welfare of dogs."
According to Dr. Debra Primovic, Veterinarian and resident dog expert of leading dog health website www.petplace.com/dogs.aspx the U.S. protocol for handling rabies outbreaks among dogs is very different.
"In the United States, when a vaccinated dog bites a human being, those dogs are quarantined for 10 days to determine if the dog was capable of infecting the bite victim with rabies. Dogs that are contagious will typically die within that time period containing the spread of the disease."
In addition, Dr. Primovic explains that the primary difference between U.S. and Chinese policy on dogs and dog health is in the area of dog vaccines.
"Dogs in the U.S. are vaccinated at a much higher rate than in China. Combined with quarantine procedures, a mass killing of 50,000 dogs is unnecessary in the United States and among countries that adopt similar policies."
Dr. Primovic overseas a team of veterinarians at internet company Pet Place that helps educate owners of dogs about the importance of dog vaccines and dog health.
Her team has recently published a free consumer awareness guide for owners of dogs on the topic of dog rabies and dog vaccines which can be found at:
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/rabies-vaccine-recommendations-in-dogs/page1.aspx
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