A Mississauga woman says Toronto Public Health might have gone overboard by euthanizing pets after a rabies scare last month.
Gloria Rizutti bought eight-week-old Sammy on Jan. 13 from Dr. Flea's Flea Market. The dog was in the same booth as another puppy that was later diagnosed with rabies.
Toronto Public Health issued a warning to all people who purchased about a dozen dogs from that booth to contact officials.
Rizutti had already taken her pet to the Credit Valley Animal Hospital and Sammy received a clean bill of health aside from a kennel cough that was quickly cleared up with antibiotics. The dog showed no signs of rabies.
Nonetheless, Rizutti said when she called her local public health agency, she was told Sammy would likely be euthanized rather than be quarantined.
"They said 'well you can give him to us tonight and we'll put him to sleep, or give him to the Canadian food inspection agency tomorrow, they'll make the decision, and there's a good chance they'll put him to sleep," she explained to CTV Toronto.
Within three hours of calling health officials, Sammy was taken by animal control and put to sleep. Subsequent tests showed the dog did not have rabies.
A public health official in Peel said all dog owners were given the same options.
"We did however, for health protection reasons, try to encourage people to have their animal euthanised and tested for rabies," he said. "That's the most certain approach, the best health protective approach.
"While it's always sad to think about euthanising a pet, our objective is to protect human health," he continued.
Animals are only tested for rabies once they have died. In Peel region, Sammy was one of five dogs that were euthanized. They all tested negative for the disease.
Three puppies in Peel are living under strict quarantine for six months.
With a report from CTV Toronto's MairiAnna Bachynsky
