Dog bite

Many will remember my last post about the poor little Chihuahua puppy tossed of a motoconcho onto the high way. I wouldn?t go so far as to call myself a dog lover but it seems quite ironic that it?s that emotion that got me into this predicament.

This morning while enjoying a fine cup of coffee I hear my watchdog (tied to the front door) fighting with another dog. Turns out it?s this same beast that?s been making trouble in the area for the past few weeks, a very aggressive little SOB.

When I stepped out I couldn?t find anything like a stick or rock to use to break it up so fearing for my dog?s health I had no choice but to kick the intruding animal but as I did so it got a hold of my leg and added 4 holes that God never intended for me to have on my leg. It did the trick however because dog took off.

I?ve never suffered a serious bit from any animal so I didn?t realize how much it hurts. My wife suggested that we get over to the Clinica right away but for some reason I have this idea that more damage could be done at the Hospital then what I?d already suffered but she made me go.

I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the Centro Medico Bournigal in POP. The emergency room was clean and not unlike the ones in Toronto, empty because it was a Sunday (I guess) and the staff very friendly. $950.00 Pesos later I was on my way all cleaned and bandaged up and a note from the Dr. for the authorities to capture the dog and hold if for observations.

So now I?m faced with a choice, after saving the life of one dog last week I have to decide if I want to take the life of this one. The choice is being made easier by the fact that with each passing day this dog gets more aggressive towards our dogs and our neighbor?s and now I fear that with my actions it could become a threat to people as well. Any suggestions would be helpful.

I've already talked to the lady nextdoor to keep her kids inside until I can get someone over here to grab the dog...I'll also ask them to test the dog for any sickness but it'll have to wait til Monday I guess.

Well I?ve started my rabies treatment. It?s a shot in the upper back that is not very painful but I have to go back every day for 7 days and then later my reinforcement shots, I think it?s 5 over then next few weeks/months.

The dog is a street dog with no owner and it was back last night to make trouble but in my condition I was not up to getting out there to try and grab it. I?m going to see if a vet will come out here and nab him so we can test it but as far as the people at the Centro de Salud say, I have to get the treatment right away so I did.

There is no cost for the shots, they?ve had to administer the treatment many many times due to the number of street dogs running around and the frequent bites. I hate to say it but maybe a better and more cost effective solution is not free shots but animal control.

Well my wife takes most of the credit because it was go get the shot or else...did you know that there are about 25,000 deaths a year from rabies world wide.

Today was shot number 2. It is not painful at all. I?ve read up about rabies on the net and here?s what I?ve found. If a dog bites you and you clean the bite area right away with alcohol then you have a 90% chance of stopping a potential rabies infection. I did that. Then I went to the emergency room to get better cleaned up so I add another 90% probability that nipped it in the bud. Add to that the chances that the dog is infected, 50/50 for a street dog (says the vet) and finally the shots I?m getting now?If my math is right then there is a 20% chance that I infected the dog with rabies.