Rabies vaccine packets being spread in Waterloo Region

Be on the lookout when walking your dog so that it doesn't eat an unfamiliargreen packet.

Earlier this week, a CBC listener spotted one of these small packets while walking her dogs on Union Street in Kitchener.

"I noticed that one of [the dogs] was chewing on something," said Pat Arbuckle, in an email to The Morning Edition. "I made her drop it and when I picked it up, I saw that there was writing on it, 'do not eat'."

The reason why these packets have the warningon them is that theycontaina rabies vaccine are are intended for wild animals.

Although wedon't have reported cases of rabies in the Waterloo Region, many other nearby locales have been intenselycombatting the disease thisyear.

"There's been a total of 120 of cases all around the Hamilton area," said Chris Davies, manager of wildlife research and monitoring with theOMNRF.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry(OMNRF) is distributing the chewable rabies vaccine packets within a 50 kilometres range ofconfirmed cases. The Region of Waterloo falls within that target zone.

Not harmful for your dog

According to Davies, dogs rummaging along baited trails eatrabies packetsmore often than you might think. However, he says there are fewnegative effects on pets aside from an upset stomach.

The packets are tested and then approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency before distribution, he said.

What to look for

The vaccine package is approximately 2 cm by 4 cm similar to a ketchup packet from afast food restaurantand areakhaki green colour. The outsidecoated with a green, waxy skin that has a sweet vanilla smell to attract the animal.

"The idea is for the animal to eat the vaccine," said Davies. "It eats the bait, breaking the vaccine capsule, then the vaccine hits the back of their throat and the top of their mouth. It's absorbed and the animal is vaccinated against rabies."

Since the beginning of April,OMNRFhas distributed almost 600,000 rabies packets inside the zone.Daviessays that baitingis now completeinKitchener-Waterlooneighbourhoods, butanother vaccine drop may occuragaininAugust and September.