Rabid red fox euthanized in eastern Ontario
Rabies has been detected in a red fox in eastern Ontario, with health authorities saying the animal was euthanized and appropriate treatment provided to the people who were in contact with it.
The animal was found in Chute-à-Blondeau, east of Hawkesbury, with Eastern Ontario Health Unit's medical officer of health saying it was his first time hearing of a rabid fox in the region.
"It was actually bat rabies," said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, about the detection on June 13. "So that doesn't surprise me because we do have rabid bats in the area."
That's an important distinction, according to Roumeliotis, signifying the virus didn't transmit between foxes.
"That would present a whole kind of ecosystem of rabies," he said on Wednesday.
Ministry says detection doesn't mean increased risk
The Ministry of Natural Resources is confident the detection doesn't indicate any increased risk to the health of people or wildlife, it said in an email. While it's not common for bat-variant rabies to occur in other species, it is possible, it said.
Roumeliotis said a bat may have bitten the fox, while the ministry says the fox, a scavenger, could have come into contact with a dead bat.
The last detected case of this strain in a non-bat mammal in eastern Ontario was in a skunk in 2018.
'It looked fine'
Janet Cote says the animal lived on her property in Chute-à-Blondeau.
She would watch the kit and its siblings from her home's front window as they grew. But on Sunday, May 11, she spotted one acting strangely.
"The little tiny one, the runt, stayed out on the grass and, jeez, it was there for about an hour in the full sun," Cote said by phone. "I thought, 'oh its natural instinct should be to go hide, not stay out.'"
She says her husband, wearing gloves, was able to handle the animal and place it in an oversized cardboard box.
"It looked fine," Cote said. "It just looked like it was super lethargic and tired and I thought, 'Oh, maybe it just needs nutrition.'"
"I never thought that it was that sick."
The two decided to transport it to Holly's Haven, a wildlife rescue in Dunrobin. Lynne Rowe, its director of operations, says her team had the fox for less than 12 hours.
"The next morning we saw it was having seizures," Rowe said. "And so took it straight to our vet who euthanized it and then was concerned about the symptoms"
Rowe says possible exposures at the rescue are low — with her team having worn protective equipment while handling the sick animal — but staff have received boosters shots.
She says susceptible species at the rescue are also in the process of becoming fully vaccinated.
Cote said her husband also received shots.
According to Ottawa Public Health, the rabies virus affects the brain of those infected.
It's usually spread from animal to animal but can also be spread to humans.
If a person with the virus doesn't receive treatment, the disease is already fatal by the time they show symptoms.
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