O/T Toe-eating puppy stolen from animal shelter
Billie - AGC Queen
A Chihuahua puppy suspected of devouring a 2-month-old's toe has been stolen
from the Oklahoma City animal shelter, and if the dog is not returned soon, the
child may have to take a series of preventive rabies shots.
The shelter's acting director, Rana Bohan, pleaded Monday for the return of the
puppy named Chevy. Bohan wondered how the dog got out of its locked cage,
behind a locked steel door.
"It had to be someone who had access to the shelter and could get the keys,"
Bohan said.
Dr. Venusto H. San Joaquin, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at
Children's Hospital of Oklahoma, said risks are associated with the series of
five preventive rabies shots, "if the patient is an adult or an older child."
"Whether these risks will be more severe or will increase with a 2- to
3-month-old infant, I can't say, and no one else, I suspect, can either," San
Joaquin said Monday. "I hope the dog is found, so the baby won't have to
undergo all that."
Normal reactions to rabies vaccination include pain, swelling at the injection
site and body aches, San Joaquin said. There also is a risk of neurological
complications, which can result in worsening muscle weakness, sometimes leading
to paralysis.
The rabies virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected animal. Once
symptoms appear, it is always fatal.
San Joaquin said the baby would receive the same dosage of rabies vaccine as an
adult. The infant's shots likely would be given in the thigh over a one-month
period.
Meanwhile, police have been asked to investigate the puppy's disappearance. The
puppy disappeared sometime between 4 p.m. Saturday when the shelter closed and
Sunday when shelter workers came in to care for the animals, Bohan said.
Bohan said the dog's disappearance was reported to her about 3:30 p.m. Monday.
She said the puppy's disappearance will be treated the same as any other theft.
The 2-pound puppy had four more days of quarantine before it can be considered
free of rabies.
"That's entirely too young (for the baby) to have to undergo those shots. If it
were my child, I'd be frantic. We understand that people might want to protect
the dog. But we're talking about the welfare of a baby," Bohan said.
If the person who has the puppy does not want to return the puppy to the
shelter or police, Bohan asked that the person take it to a veterinarian.
On July 12, the baby's mother brought the baby to Children's Hospital. She told
doctors her puppy bit off the baby's toe and chewed other toes.
A doctor called police and said he didn't think the baby's injuries were
consistent with a dog bite. However, the dog passed the toe while at the animal
shelter.
The baby and two siblings, a 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy, were taken
to the Oklahoma County Juvenile Shelter to await a custody hearing.
Since custody hearings are not open to the public, The Oklahoman was unable to
determine if the children have been returned to their parents. The family
refused to comment on the case when called Monday .