CamBay remains on rabies alert

Rabies from foxes are thought to be linked to the recent deaths of several dogs in Cambridge Bay. (FILE PHOTO)

Rabid foxes appear to be at the root of Cambridge Bay’s recent spate of sudden dog deaths.

There’s been an increase in the number of rabid foxes near Cambridge Bay this year, and people should avoid them, said Stephen King, Cambridge Bay’s senior administrative officer.

That advice came after a few tied-up dogs in the community were found strangled on their chains, likely due to rabies.

Some unvaccinated dogs in the community were confirmed to have rabies, likely caught after they came into contact with rabid foxes.

“People should avoid any foxes in town and call the wildlife officer or hamlet bylaw officer to report a fox sighting,” King told Nunatsiaq News.

However, the hamlet is not the organization that sends the animals for tests, he said.

That’s done in conjunction with the Government of Nunavut’s wildlife and environmental health officers.

The hamlet bylaw officer does vaccinate dogs at an owner’s request, King said — and, as well, there are vaccine clinics set up a few times a year.

“If a dog owner cannot take their dog to bylaw officer, the officer will make home visits upon request, especially in circumstances where there is increased confirmed rabies case as there have been this year,” King said.

Rabies, a potentially fatal viral disease that spreads from the bite of a rabid animal to another animal or human, affects the central nervous system. It’s a disease found mostly in foxes and wolves in Nunavut and most often transmitted by bites from infected animals.

Animals with rabies can appear nervous, agitated or aggressive and may be foaming at the mouth.

The rabies virus, present in the saliva of an infected animal, can spread to people who are bitten or scratched by an infected dog or fox.

The virus then travels along nerve cells to the brain. The virus is deadly in infected humans if they are not treated soon after the disease is transmitted.

Foxes and wolves are the main carriers of rabies in the wild — and when they bite dogs, rabies can spread quickly.

Last January, Igloolik was on alert for rabies after a fox tested positive for the disease.

A similar situation unfolded in Nunavik in 2012, where six foxes tested positive for rabies.

Rabies symptoms in animals can include either aggressive and combative behaviour or listless and weak behaviour.

But, in both kinds of rabies, the “furious” or “dumb” form, death occurs a few days after symptoms appear, usually from respiratory failure.