Importation of companion animals

PLEASE SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH YOUR RABIES PROGRAM TEAM AND ALL PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTORS

You Asked, We Answered

Here we will target specific questions that we have been asked by Public Health Inspectors. Usually when 1 person asks, there are several out there who are wondering the same thing so we wanted to share the answers with everyone. Please email any questions you have to rrp@oavt.org. If we don't know the answer we will do everything we can to find it for you.

Question: I am interested in the relocation of shelter animals from rabies endemic areas to Ontario and the actions being taken by various stakeholders.

Answer:

After researching this topic we discovered, unfortunately, that there is no standard for monitoring/tracking the movement of companion animals across provincial or international borders. The only exception to this is when dealing with the importation of commercial puppies. In May of 2021 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) updated Canada's import requirements for commercial dogs less than 8 months of age that are being brought into Canada for breeding and resale/adoption purposes. Details of the importation requirements can be found on the Government of Canada's website.

With no requirement for the permanent identification of all companion animals across provincial or international borders there is no reliable way of tracking their movements. Responsible breeders, rescue organizations and animal shelters do their absolute best to pass along all relevant information; including the animal's medical and travel history, for the animals in their care but for the foreseeable future it remains a "buyer beware" situation.

The OAVT RRP asks that PHUs acknowledge, on the rabies specimen collection request form, "Was this animal imported into Ontario in the past 6 months?" to help identify where rabies positive animals may be originating.

Also, the OAVT RRP asks PHUs to use the "Additional Notes" field on the request form to include location information of where an animal originated, if it was not in the same jurisdiction as where it is being collected from and has moved within 10 days prior to exposure. This is to account for what jurisdiction rabies may have been acquired.

What you need to know about rabies virus variants?

The Rabies virus has several variants (also know as strains) that are named based on the primary species responsible for transmitting the virus. Although the variant is named by the most common animal infected with the virus it does not mean that it can't be passed on to another species; for example, a skunk can become infected by the raccoon variant. In recent years Ontario has seen cases of animals infected with the bat strain and the raccoon strain. Arctic fox variants have been found in Ontario but the last active case was in 2018.

Provided below are some additional resources if you are interested in learning more about rabies variants:

What should you do if you are travelling to a rabies endemic area?

When you are travelling outside of Canada there are many factors to consider; including, vaccine requirements. When it comes to the rabies virus it is important to determine the traveller's risk of exposure well in advance to make sure there is enough time to complete the pre-exposure vaccine protocol prior to departure.

According to the Government of Canada website they recommend travellers consult a health care provider or visit a travel health clinic at least 6 weeks before the travel date. They also recommend the rabies vaccine be administered if any of the following apply to the traveller:

People at potentially high risk of contact with animals.
Travellers going to areas where rabies is widespread and there is poor access to medical care.
Children who are too young to understand either the need to avoid animals or to report contact with animals.

To look up the vaccination recommendations for any country, please visit the Government of Canada's Travel Vaccinations webpage.

CFIA Report on Rabies in Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has a website with statistics on all rabies cases in Canada (including the MNRF cases reported below) dating back to 1988. They update their website on the 28^th day of each month.

As of February 29^th, 2024 there has been a total of 259 animals submitted across the country, including 175 which were submitted by Ontario. Of these cases, 5 were positive for rabies, including 4 that were from Ontario.

The rabies positive cases in Ontario are distributed among the following species:

Bat: 4

Visit the CFIA website for more information on rabies in Canada.

Rabies in Ontario - MNRF Report

The MNRF is reporting on their results of wildlife testing (with no human/animal exposure), surveillance and bait drops.

As of March 20^th, 2024 the MNRF is reporting a total of 523 cases of raccoon strain (485 expired and 38 active) and 21 cases of fox strain rabies (21 expired) in Ontario since the outbreak began in December 2015.

In 2024, the MNRF has tested a total of 642 animals, all of which tested negative for rabies.

The total number of raccoon strain cases since the outbreak began in 2015 are distributed among the following Public Health Units:

Hamilton: 215 raccoons, 112 skunks, 1 fox, 2 cats
Haldimand-Norfolk: 30 raccoons, 2 skunks, 1 llama
Niagara: 47 raccoons, 52 skunks, 1 dog
Brant: 26 raccoons, 2 skunks
Halton: 17 raccoons, 9 skunks
Waterloo: 2 skunks

The total number of fox strain cases since the outbreak began in 2015 are distributed among the following Public Health Units:

Perth: 6 cows, 2 skunks
Huron: 1 cow, 3 skunks
Waterloo: 1 fox, 5 skunks
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph: 3 skunks

The last case of fox strain rabies was detected in 2018. No cases have been detected in 2019-2023.

The MNRF has launched a new interactive map to help provide more information about where rabies cases have been detected and where wildlife testing has been done. The map lets you select the testing year/s, strain types, and can be zoomed in to specific municipalities.

New Veterinary Professionals Act In Progress!

On March 7th, 2024, Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, announced the new Veterinary Professionals Act under Bill 171, the Enhancing Professional Care for Animals Act, and on March 21st it passed its 2nd reading. It has been over 30 years since there have been any significant updates to the veterinary medicine legislation.

Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVT) play a pivotal role in caring for animals and the new act will formally recognize the importance of RVTs; including their training and skills. Kristina Cooper, the Provincial Manager for the Rabies Response Program, had the distinct honour of being present in the legislature when it was announced and had this to say about the passing of Bill 171:

"The formal recognition on RVTs within the modernized act allows the province of Ontario to utilize RVTs to their full potential. This is a great step forward not only for the protection of the public and animals but also in the ability to increase access to veterinary services in underserved areas. RVTs have proven for 10 years their ability to utilize their unique skills independently, while working for the OAVT RRP and in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Ontario's Public Health Units. We look forward to what the enhanced act holds for the future of RVTs and veterinary medicine as a whole."

The new legislation will provide a number of important benefits; including:

A formal scope of practice for veterinary technicians, allowing them to perform to the full breadth of their training and expertise
New requirements for Continuing Education
Improved complaints resolution process
Increased penalties for causing harm to animals
Increased public representation on the regulatory college council

The Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians (OAVT), along with their partners at the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO) and the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) will continue to work alongside the government as the bill progresses through the government process.

Below are additional resources to learn more about the Enhancing Professional Care for Animals Act:

From left to right: RVT Kelsey Streef (OAVT Vice-President), RVT Elise Wickett (OAVT Executive Director), MP Lisa Thompson (OMAFRA), RVT Kirsti Clarida (OAVT Past President), RVT Kristina Cooper (OAVT RRP Provincial Manager). Photo Credit: OMAFRA

The OAVT Public Health Rabies Response Program

107-100 Stone Rd West

Guelph, ON

N1G 5L3

1-844-8RABIES

www.oavtrrp.org

rrp@oavt.org