The first case of rabies in Nain this year has been reported.
Dr. Hugh Whitney is the Chief Veterinarian for the province.
He says there was a report on July 11 that a Red Fox attacked a 5 month old puppy in Nain.
The fox was killed because people in town are familiar with rabies and knew that the virus can spread.
Whitney says the dog was put in quarantine in a shed and kept away from people.
The red fox was sent out to Ottawa for testing, and came out positive for rabies.
He says the dog was vaccinated for rabies when the Chinook Project was in town on June 25 of this year.
But due to a bite on the face it didn’t take long for the virus to take effect.
It takes at least 30 days for the vaccination to take effect, which meant that the pup wasn’t protected from rabies yet.
Once a dog is quarantined they will be held for 6 months, but in this case the dog didn’t take long to show signs of rabies.
According to Whitney, Dasi Ikkusek of the Nain Inuit Community Government had noticed a change in the pup on Monday.
The pup had stopped eating, a sign that it had rabies.
So the NICG had to put down the dog, as they were very concerned about other cases happening in town.
If anyone sees or has seen any strange activities by wild animals you are asked to report them to Nain Conservation Officer Simon Kohlmeister.
Whitney adds this is an odd case of rabies.
In May of 2012, they noticed that rabies can be transported by infected animals travelling on ice from Northern Quebec to other communities.
And they are trying to figure out why there was a case in Nain in July when the ice is gone.
Whitney says if anyone is bitten by a dog or fox you have to report to the clinic right away to get a rabies shot.