Colorado mulls rule that would raise minimum age of imported pets to curb rabies
Denver Post
Colorado’s Department of Agriculture is considering a new rule that would require rabies vaccines for puppies, kittens and ferrets imported by pet rescues after several puppies were euthanized earlier this year during a rabies scare.
As originally reported by Denver7, the rule would effectively ban the import of animals that are less than 12 weeks old, since younger animals can’t receive the rabies vaccine.
Organizations licensed under Colorado’s Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act are already prohibited from importing animals younger than 8 weeks, and animals older than three months must have a rabies vaccine.
Nick Fisher, the agriculture department’s PACFA program section chief said the rule change was needed to protect pet owners and their animals from the deadly virus.
“It’s a huge consumer protection issue, obviously, and a huge public safety issue,” Fisher said. “What happens if a child dies or someone else dies as a result of us not doing anything about it?”
While vaccines and post-exposure medicines are effective at preventing people and animals from contracting rabies, once the symptoms of rabies become apparent, the disease is almost always fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The symptoms of rabies in dogs are similar to those of the canine distemper virus, which can result in one disease being diagnosed as the other. To test a dog for rabies, the animal must first be euthanized.
This fact led to heartbreak for numerous pet owners earlier this year when one of 11 puppies imported from Texas by Moms and Mutts Colorado Rescue was found to have rabies.
The remaining 10 dogs were ordered to be put down — only the first was infected, according to Denver7. Fisher said more than 100 dogs were ultimately exposed, and 54 people had to undergo post-exposure treatment, which cost several thousand dollars for some.
“I think this is the tip of the iceberg,” Fisher said of the incident. “There could potentially be cases of rabies that we don’t know about that were diagnosed as distemper.”
The proposed addition to the Code of Colorado Regulations requiring rabies vaccines for dogs, cats and ferrets imported into PACFA-licensed facilities from outside of the state is currently being considered by the agriculture department’s PACFA Advisory Committee.
Also included are requirements that all dogs have at least one vaccine against parvovirus and distemper, all cats have one vaccine against feline viral rhinotracheitis, feline calicivirus and feline panleukopenia; and all ferrets have one vaccine against distemper.
Fisher said the rule would likely be finalized no sooner than fall 2025 if it is accepted by the Colorado Agricultural Commission following an ongoing public comment process.
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