CDC bans importation of dogs from 113 countries due to rabies risk

It’s not about who let the dogs out, but rather where the dogs can come from in the United States

From July 14, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ban you (or anyone else for that matter) to import dogs from countries the CDC considers to be at high risk for canine rabies. In fact, you also won’t be able to import dogs that have been to such high-risk countries in the past six months. The CDC currently lists 113 high-risk countries which supplied approximately 6% of all dogs imported into the United States. Even if you like big dogs and can’t lie, like a cup of coffee said, you should first check where the pooch may have come from.

If you say you have the freedom to import whatever you want from anywhere, the answer would be “well, no, you don’t.” The only way to get around these new prohibitions will be to apply for a CDC dog import permit and email the CDC at least 30 business days (which is roughly 6 weeks) before you intend to enter the United States. The CDC will then review your case and your reasoning, and make a decision. And this decision will be final. Without this prior written approval from the CDC, you cannot obtain an exception to the ban.

Think of this as the result of another incident in 2020. The CDC noticed a significant increase last year in the number of dogs from high-risk countries who were ultimately denied entry to the United States. This included the discovery of fake rabies vaccination certificates. . Additionally, the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has left limited staff and resources to perform proper inspection of animals and their documents at U.S. ports of entry.

It is important to prevent any dog ​​infected with the rabies virus from entering the United States. Vaccination of dogs against the canine rabies virus has essentially helped eliminate this variant of the virus from the United States since 2007. A single rabid dog could reintroduce the canine rabies virus. variant back to the United States that a dog could then transmit the virus to humans and other animals such as raccoons.

Since an infected animal has the virus in its saliva, biting or licking the wound of another animal can then transmit the virus. Once the virus enters the bloodstream, it can then wreak havoc, affecting the brain and nervous system. It can take weeks for symptoms to appear, usually 21 to 80 days.

Symptoms include fever, difficulty swallowing, excessive saliva production, seizures, difficulty moving, restlessness, irritability, hypersensitivity to light, sound and other stimuli and changes in behavior. Behavior changes can go in different directions. For example, your dog may become more aggressive or more affectionate or more “cold”.

Behavior changes often first occur with physical symptoms such as “foam in the mouth” occurring only after disease progression. Seizures, lack of muscle control and paralysis are signs that the disease has reached its final stages. Eventually, the paralysis prevents breathing, resulting in death.

The good news is that vaccinating your dogs can effectively prevent rabies infections. The bad news is that not all dogs in all countries are vaccinated. Just because dogs claim the keys are stuck on their foreheads after being vaccinated and posting anti-vaccination messages on social media. This is because public health programs in many countries do not vaccinate dogs and some people and organizations that offer dogs do not make sure their dogs are covered.

Keep in mind that this ban is only meant to be temporary, just a paw, so to speak. And the countries on the list may change. But for now, don’t buy a dog in any of the countries on the list, even if you haven’t hunted what you’re looking for yet.