Western Cape pet owners urged to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture is urging people to vaccinate their animals against rabies after a confirmed case in Cape Town.

- Glenneis Kriel

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture has called on cat and dog owners to vaccinate their pets against rabies after a case was confirmed in a pet dog from a household in Cape Town.

The dog exhibited symptoms such as fever and increased aggression. Along with a younger dog from the same household, which was injured, the animal was humanely euthanised to prevent the spread of the disease.

Mary James, head of communication at the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, told Farmer’s Weekly that the source of infection was unclear as neither of the dogs had recently travelled outside the province.

“Rabies is not endemic in wild animals in the City of Cape Town, with the closest wildlife cases in the past reported in the Paarl area. Recent investigations into reports of seals exhibiting aggressive behaviour in the city also found no evidence of rabies infections in seals,” she said.