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Why must dogs quarantine after biting someone?

On Behalf of | Nov 29, 2021 | Dog Attacks, Personal Injury, Personal Injury Liability, Premises Liability

While many dogs are friendly and social companion animals, others can be downright vicious. Recently, according to reporting from CBS News, a Minneapolis man suffered serious injuries when a pit bull’s owner allegedly allowed the dog to attack. Sadly, the man’s story is far from rare in Minnesota.

Minnesota law requires a 10-day quarantine for dogs that bite. Alternatively, owners can elect to euthanize the animal. Either way, the objective is to determine whether an aggressive dog had rabies at the time of an attack.

No vaccine is 100% effective

Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. If infected individuals do not receive immediate care, rabies is almost always fatal. Consequently, responsible dog owners recognize the importance of administering a rabies vaccine to their pets.

While the rabies vaccine is extremely effective in dogs, no vaccine is 100% effective. During quarantine, veterinarians can monitor a dog for signs of rabies. If they notice any, there is usually sufficient time for the infected bite victim to obtain treatment.

Quarantine keeps dogs alive

Dog owners can never be certain their animals do not have rabies. After all, even if a dog mostly lives indoors, it may inadvertently interact with an infected bat, raccoon, skunk or another animal. If a dog’s owner does not want the animal to quarantine after a bite, the other option is to euthanize the dog. This is because the only way to test for rabies is to examine brain tissue from a carcass.

Ultimately, quarantining a dog keeps the animal alive while saving its victim from having to undergo painful and expensive rabies treatment.

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