A Silver Hair bat was submitted to a veterinary clinic on Aug. 18, 2014 in Pincher Creek, AB after a 3.5-month-old puppy had captured it. The bat was tested for rabies in the CFIA lab; results confirmed that it was infected.
The owners of the puppy have elected to place their puppy under a six-month quarantine under the supervision of the Public Health Vet, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. The owners are also consulting with the Medical Officer of Health for any human health concerns. In this case, the puppy was too young to start its normal course of rabies vaccinations. This occurrence serves as a reminder to Alberta pet owners that the rabies virus is indeed present amongst some species of bats in Alberta, and that vaccination against rabies is the best defense. This is the second confirmed case of rabies amongst the bat population in Alberta this year; both cases were in Southern Alberta.
