Puppy Bought In Milton Keynes Could Have Rabies

12 November 2013, 12:51 | Updated: 12 November 2013, 12:54

Officers from Milton Keynes Council are keen to trace the whereabouts of an English Bulldog puppy, believed to have been sold last weekend from a house in Conniburrow in Milton Keynes.

It is believed that the puppy was recently imported from Hungary and has been vaccinated too young, so potentially it is not protected from certain diseases, including - in the worst case scenario - rabies.

The animal is one of several that arrived in the country recently. The others have been recovered and are now in quarantine.

It is thought that the passport with the puppy contained the wrong date of birth and the puppy is much younger than the passport suggests. 

Karen Ford, Head of the council’s Regulatory Unit said: “Anyone who has recently bought an English Bulldog puppy from a seller in Milton Keynes, which has a pet passport from Hungary, is asked to contact us as soon as possible.

“We believe the dog is simply too young to have benefitted from all of its inoculations. The proper inoculation process takes a set period of time to kick in, and we think this puppy is simply too young to have had all of its relevant injections.

“We would urge the buyer to get in touch with us as soon as possible, so that the pup can be properly quarantined.

“On a general note I would urge everyone buying imported puppies to take extra care to check they are properly vaccinated and each animal has a legitimate pet passport.

“Whilst these puppies are generally sold for a cheaper price and you might think you are getting a bargain, you risk being hit by substantial costs with quarantine fees potentially more than £1,000 and not to mention the emotional costs of having a puppy taken from the home.”