DOG BITE victims got a stern warning from neophyte Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Kristian Ablan as he discouraged them from resorting to “tandok” or “suma” treatment to help them get rid of possible rabies resulting from the bite. “Tandok” is popularly practiced in the rural areas of the province where a dog bite victim consults an “albulario” or quack doctor, to treat the bite. The native treatment process starts with the “albulario” pouring a little amount of alcohol or alcoholic drink on the victim’s bitten portion and a cone-shaped horn of a carabao then sips the rabies from the wound. Rabies is a virus that can affect any warm-blooded animal. Whenever someone is bitten by an animal, the chances of contacting rabies exists. Although rabies incidence in humans is low, more than 30,000 people undergo treatment for possible exposure to rabies in the United States, Dog Owner’s Guide, an on-line magazine, reported. According to experts, rabies primarily attacks the nervous system and causes encephalitis. The virus is transmitted in the saliva from the bite of an infected animal. The incubation period, prior to clinical signs, is extremely variable, but is usually 2 to 8 weeks. The virus will begin shedding in saliva a short time before clinical signs develop, usually in less than 10 days. Once bitten by a rabid dog, the young Ablan went to consult the services of a “tandok” and after a gelatin-like blood popped from his skin, the traditional doctor reportedly said, “Natanggal na ang rabies.” “But I wasn’t convinced,” Ablan said so he went to Manila to be given an anti-rabies shot. “Tandok should not be practiced because it has never been proven to be 100 percent effective,” Ablan said as he introduced new amendments to the anti-rabies control ordinance he filed at the SP, which discourages “tandok” as a method of curing dog bite victims. He also expressed support for Republic Act 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act, with his measure, which Ablan said strictly prohibits “trading of dog meat” as well as “killing” and eating” as he underscored that those found violating the dog ordinance will be held responsible with the corresponding penalties. Local laws prescribe vaccination of all dogs, and cats, against rabies. Wild animals kept as pets should never be vaccinated and contact with wild animals should be avoided. The following are recommendations if a pet has been bitten by a wild animal or by a known rabid animal: If the pet has been vaccinated, re-vaccinate and quarantine for 90 days; And if the pet has not been vaccinated, euthanize and submit tissue samples for rabies testing. If the owner is unwilling to euthanize the pet, it should be strictly quarantined for six months with vaccination one month prior to release in an effort to prevent the deadly disease. Leilanie G. Adriano
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