Rescued Neapolitan mastiff dies after excess dose of rabies vaccine

Unlawful administration of expired rabies vaccine leads to death of Neapolitan mastiff, sparking investigation and disciplinary action.

Outdated rabies vaccine reportedly administered in excess dose by an attender at the Chathamangalam regional poultry farm has claimed the life of a female Neapolitan mastiff, which was rescued by a woman several months ago.

The alleged unlawful practice by the unauthorised and untrained government staffer also caused grave health issues to three other dogs, including a rescued street dog, in the custody of the same handler, apart from causing her huge mental trauma.

Animal lovers who took up the issue with the police and the Veterinary department said the man, who reportedly had a history of pretending to be a veterinarian, used a 10 ml bottle of ‘expired’ anti-rabies vaccine completely to cover the four dogs at a time on March 12. They said the crude administration that led to the death of a dog on March 17 was done when the permissible dosage was only 1 ML per dog at a time, as per the standard immunisation practice.

“It was a painful incident as the woman who was actively involved in several street dog rescue activities could not overcome the mental shock and rushed to the Kozhikode District Veterinary Hospital on March 18 to save the lives of the other affected dogs in her custody. The support of doctors from the Pookode Government Veterinary Hospital was sought the following day for further examination,” said E.K. Rajeev, a Kozhikode-based dog rescuer and caretaker under the Union government’s Animal Welfare Board who took up the issue for action.

He said complaints against the attender had been sent to the State Animal Husbandry department and the Chief Veterinary Officer seeking a thorough investigation into the incident and immediate disciplinary action based on the lab report.

“The three remaining dogs — a male Neapolitan mastiff, a Dobermann, and a local breed — have been found to be very critical after the crude vaccination. Only the local dog breed is responding to the intensive lifesaving treatment by an expert veterinary doctor in the city,” said Mr. Rajeev. He added that incidents of similar nature should not recur as it could spoil the whole virtue of merciful rescue and adoption practices.

E. Aneesha, the woman who came up with the complaint, said the attender had been to her home at Kattangal with a flask filled with the vaccine. “He administered the vaccine claiming that he was working at the farm as a livestock inspector. He had vaccinated my dogs thrice earlier with the same claim, but there were no health issues for the dogs as I personally purchased the vaccines,” she told The Hindu.