A case of fatal rabies in a donkey in dawakin tofa, kano state, nigeria

This article presents a rare case of rabies in an 11-year-old male Auraki breed donkey (Equus asinus) from Dawakin Tofa Town, Kano State, Nigeria. The donkey was said to have been bitten by a stray rabid dog. Twelve days after the bite, the animal started exhibiting signs of colic, restlessness, grunting sound, recumbency, biting its legs and rubbing around udderagainst objects. The donkey died 22 days following the bites by the rabies affected stray dog; despite the intervention. The head of the donkey was severed and sent to the National Reference Laboratory. The diagnosis was confirmed by the detection of virus particles in the doney’s brain by the fluorescent antibody technique. For the other two donkeys attacked by the rabid donkey, no evidence of disease was observed upon examination. Rabies is a highly fatal viral infection affecting most mammalian species, including humans. This case further emphasises the importance of pre and post-exposure immunisation of dogs and the need for dog owners to vaccinate their dogs routinely against rabies so as to limit the risk of transmission to humans and other susceptible animals.