Our son moved to Abilene last year and he called on Friday and told us he might need rabies preventive treatment (shots/vaccine). He came in contact with a dog that had killed a skunk and then the dog died of rabies. The dog owner knew that the dog killed a skunk but continued to take the dog out to public places and come in contact with other dogs and people.....there were even small children that were allowed to pet the dog. Our sons contact with the dog was petting it and the dog may have licked him.

What an irresponsible pet owner this person was and it pisses me off....the owner knew the dog didn't have the rabies shots, dog killed a skunk, but he continued to take the dog out in public places. The health department won't tell us how many people came in contact with the dog but it sounds like there is a bunch.
We are told that incidental contact and even letting the dog lick you is low contact with the animal but if a person does contact the rabies virus and not receive treatment it is almost always fatal.
My son is now out $2,200.00 for a series of shots.
https://www.reporternews.com/s...rabid-dog/582749002/

Irresponsible doesn’t even begin to cover it. Who doesn’t vaccinate their dog this day and age??

My wife’s cousin lost their ten year old son to rabies due to an unknown bat bite. It’s a horrible way to go. Sucks that he’s out the $2k but I’d pay it in a second for the peace of mind. Once the symptoms show up it’s already too late.

If I were him, I would contact a lawyer seeking damages against the owner of that dog. Though if the asshole can't/won't get his dog the basic shots, he might not have anything to sue for...

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Originally posted by Edmond:
If I were him, I would contact a lawyer seeking damages against the owner of that dog. Though if the asshole can't/won't get his dog the basic shots, he might not have anything to sue for...

We are trying to find out if the person has any homeowners/renters insurance that might cover the cost.

We have 3 outside animals and on Thursday we took them into the vet for checkups and shots...$320.00 well spent.

There are a bunch of very, very, upset people over the stupidity of this pet owner

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$320.00 well spent.

Way better spent than the $32,000 or whatever it is this ass hat has caused all the people who had contact to spend. I hope there is some way to recover it.

It is "very unlikely" that rabies can be spread by a dog licking you but who wants to take that chance....

well, outside of the first death lawsuit, isnt willful lack of action a possible criminal charge? You willingly expose people to a deadly disease and do not tell them.... I think there are some people in prison with aids with VERY similar cases.

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Originally posted by SummersAtTheLake:
It is "very unlikely" that rabies can be spread by a dog licking you

Say what? Rabies is a virus spread by the mucous of infected animals. If the lick was near a cut or mucous membrane of a person or the person touched the licked area, then touched any of the former, there’s a decent chance it would spread.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dakor,

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You willingly expose people to a deadly disease and do not tell them.....

Agreed. That's at a minimum negligence (breach of a duty), and you have harm (medical expenses).

I would file a claim in small claims court against him or her (find out the jurisditional limit first). Call a lawyer, or better yet, do it yourself.

That is one you will very likely win. Obtain a judgment, and if it is not paid, you can reduce it to a lien against the house, where it will be paid, either now, or when it gets either sold or refinanced.

quote:

Originally posted by Dakor:

quote:

Originally posted by SummersAtTheLake:
It is "very unlikely" that rabies can be spread by a dog licking you

Say what? Rabies is a virus spread by the mucous of infected animals. If the lick was near a cut or mucous membrane of the child or the child touched the licked area, then touched any of the former, there’s a decent chance it would spread.

I know how rabies is spread but thank you for the expert opinion and smart ass "say what" comment. Our son had already decided to take the shots.

From the Texas Department of health:

What Is Rabies?

Rabies is a virus disease of the central nervous system. It can be transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal, or through the saliva of a rabid animal being introduced into a fresh scratch or similar skin break, and rarely by other routes. Saliva in contact with unbroken skin - or even on a scratch wound over 24 hours old, one where a scab has formed-usually will not require anti-rabies treatment. You should definitely see a doctor if you think the animal could be rabid.

https://www.dshs.texas.gov/idc...s/information/facts/

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Originally posted by SummersAtTheLake:

The dog owner knew that the dog killed a skunk but continued to take the dog out to public places and come in contact with other dogs and people.....there were even small children that were allowed to pet the dog. Our sons contact with the dog was petting it and the dog may have licked him.

What an irresponsible pet owner this person was. **SNIP**

I really don't see how this was 'irresponsible,' UNLESS the owner knew the skunk was rabid. It IS irresponsible, IMO, to not vaccinate your dog. . .

Kind of sounds like a whole lot of things went wrong in this scenario.

Is $2,200 the uninsured cost?

Q's for the OP:

How did you find out the dog was rabid?

I assume the dog owner / family is getting the shots too???

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Originally posted by Hound Dog:
I really don't see how this was 'irresponsible,' UNLESS the owner knew the skunk was rabid. It IS irresponsible, IMO, to not vaccinate your dog. . .

Agreed. Dogs kill critters. I doubt the owner even thought about rabies until after the dog passed away.

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:

quote:

Originally posted by SummersAtTheLake:

The dog owner knew that the dog killed a skunk but continued to take the dog out to public places and come in contact with other dogs and people.....there were even small children that were allowed to pet the dog. Our sons contact with the dog was petting it and the dog may have licked him.

What an irresponsible pet owner this person was. **SNIP**

I really don't see how this was 'irresponsible,' UNLESS the owner knew the skunk was rabid. It IS irresponsible, IMO, to not vaccinate your dog. . .

It is against the law in Texas (and other states) to not vaccinate your dog within 4 months of age...if you are going to take your animal to a public place it is my opinion that you should at least follow the law and ignorance of it is not being responsible...JMHO

http://www.dshs.texas.gov/idcu...rabies/vaccine/pets/

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Originally posted by rmc85:
Kind of sounds like a whole lot of things went wrong in this scenario.

Is $2,200 the uninsured cost?

$2,200.00 is my sons cost after insurance deductible and co-pay...actual cost is over $4,000.00

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Originally posted by radioman:
Q's for the OP:

How did you find out the dog was rabid?

I assume the dog owner / family is getting the shots too???

The county health department contacted our son and informed him of the dog being rabid and he told us.

The health department will not disclose names of who is getting the vaccine and I can understand the non-disclosure...all we know is that there are several people not taking any chances and going ahead with the vaccine

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Originally posted by SummersAtTheLake:

quote:

Originally posted by rmc85:
Kind of sounds like a whole lot of things went wrong in this scenario.

Is $2,200 the uninsured cost?

$2,200.00 is my sons cost after insurance deductible and co-pay...actual cost is over $4,000.00

Yep. My daughter went through this after touching a couple of dead bats caught by a cat she was cat-sitting. She had a few open cuts in her hand, and the bats' bodies were far enough gone they couldn't be tested to rule out rabies.

So, yeah, couple $K out of pocket. Apparently it is expensive to produce and short-lived. It's a sequence of multiple shots over a couple of visits, and due to the risk of dangerous reaction to the treatment, the first sequence had to be done in an ER.

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Originally posted by joel9507:
It's a sequence of multiple shots over a couple of visits, and due to the risk of dangerous reaction to the treatment, the first sequence had to be done in an ER.

I can understand that. I got a preventative rabies shot once and felt like I was going to die.

About the best you can do with a moron is use him as a bad example. Hopefully this may remind some people to get their pet vaccinated.

Any chance of dragging this guy through the streets?