REGINA — Multiple dead bats found are currently being tested for rabies.
Three bats have been found between Regina and Lumsden over the past two weeks in residential yards, prompting TM'z Veterinary Clinic to send them to a laboratory in Saskatoon for testing.
“We send them off to a laboratory in Saskatoon, and we will get the results back in a week,” said Shelby McDougall, a veterinarian at TM'z Veterinary Clinic.
During this time of year, it’s common for bats to be found. McDougall said bats are among the most common carriers of rabies in Saskatchewan, with the disease transmissible through animal bites.
“So once biting occurs, different wide-ranging symptoms can appear,” she said. “Some animals can have excessive drooling and difficulty swallowing; they can have neurologic signs like weakness or staggering, and then some other animals can have completely opposite signs, where they are a bit calmer, more tame.”
The disease becomes especially dangerous once symptoms appear.
“The disease is 100 per cent fatal in those cases that already have clinical signs,” McDougall said.
As a preventive measure, TM'z Veterinary Clinic offers rabies vaccinations and encourages pet owners to keep their animals immunized.
“We want to promote rabies as a mandatory vaccine from a public health standpoint. Rabies is a disease that, aside from vaccines, we can't prevent because you can't avoid bats.”
If rabies is confirmed, McDougall said the case is reported to the appropriate governing bodies, including local authorities and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Looking ahead
McDougall expects the bat population to increase this year and next due to favourable weather conditions.
“The amount of moisture and then heat we've had definitely, and the mosquito population and insect population, has created good feeding for the bat population.”
With more bats expected, she also anticipates seeing more animals submitted for testing.
“I wouldn't be surprised if we got more in the next little bit here.”
