Only Barks Or Will They Attack?

[sante]

Dogs are a common sight here in Chiang Mai but I've haven't experienced any hostility from them until today. I was walking around CMU about 11 AM in a path around a field with no one nearby (it was Saturday) and suddenly I was confronted by a pack of dogs growling viciously. They blocked my way and after a moment's hesitation I just turned around and retraced my steps.

I've never read on this forum about anyone getting bitten so am wondering if they would have attacked if I had advanced forward. Suggestions on handling a similar situation if it happens again? Now I'm hesitant to stroll around CMU on the weekends.

[onthedarkside]

Never hesitate or show any fear. I usually pick up a stone (or pretend to pick up a stone) and make a throw action. That makes them scatter. (just for the dog lovers, I don't actually throw anything).

[transam]

Never hesitate or show any fear. I usually pick up a stone (or pretend to pick up a stone) and make a throw action. That makes them scatter. (just for the dog lovers, I don't actually throw anything).

F....... the dog lovers. In UK a lady has just died from rabies after a holiday in Asia.

[Ohyesuare]

Stray dogs in a pack are very dangerous and territorial and can attack if you are perceived as a threat or easy prey. A lot of the people say the picking up a rock or stick will scare them off as that is what the Thai's usually do I think. You can buy pepper spray or a baton as well if they get too close.

[MrBrad]

Stray dogs in a pack are very dangerous and territorial and can attack if you are perceived as a threat or easy prey. A lot of the people say the picking up a rock or stick will scare them off as that is what the Thai's usually do I think. You can buy pepper spray or a baton as well if they get too close.

Where can one buy pepper spray in Chiang Mai?

[Monokuro]

Never hesitate or show any fear. I usually pick up a stone (or pretend to pick up a stone) and make a throw action. That makes them scatter. (just for the dog lovers, I don't actually throw anything).

Yes - my friend showed me this trick - just reaching down as if to pick up a stone is usually enough to make them run away

[mcgriffith]

I was set upon by 2 medium sized Alsatian breed dogs one night while walking back to my hotel when I was a new arrival 6 yrs ago.

I tried all the fake stone throwing/standing my ground/barking/shooing away dodges...didn't count for diddly squat.

Moment I turned to walk away, they ran up to bite me on my calf.

After a series of 5 rabies shots at Ram, I read up on it a bit.

Apparently about 10% of soi dogs are infected with rabies here in Thailand.

If you have not been previously immunized, you will need to start a treatment course within 24 hrs.

Even a minor nip, that doesn't draw blood, can be fatal if you are bitten and don't seek treatment until symptoms appear.

The incubation period is 20-40 days, and sometimes symptoms don't appear until a year later.

Best advice- if you are even slightly nipped- even with no blood, go get PET (post exposure treatment).

Don't give up walking- and don't be afraid or paranoid about dogs.

99% leave you alone (just like humans).

When I do my walks now, I always carry an umbrella or a walking stick.

Somehow dogs (even in a pack who are acting territorial) avoid humans carrying a big stick.

Edited June 30, 2012 by mcgriffith
clarification

[NancyL]

In the U.S. stray dogs, who had simply strayed from home, would respond to a brisk "go home" command. That doesn't seem to work here. Maybe it's my flawless Thai accent (ha!). The pretend-to-bend-down-to-get-a-rock trick works really well here.

In Thailand, the only time I've been bitten (nipped actually, no skin broken) I had no warning. I was walking on the sidewalk in front of a wat gate at dusk and one of the wat dogs came darting out of the wat and nipped at my calf. Total surprise. Didn't see any sign of the dog before it appeared out of nowhere. No sign of blood once I got home and could inspect in strong light.

Once I was in a pharmacy and a backpacker came in to "get something" for the dog bite she'd received on her leg the day before. The pharmasist's eyes got large and she asked where. "Oh, some dog in a village we were visiting". Of course, the pharmasist said to get to a hospital pronto for rabies shots and the backpacker was insisting no, it wasn't serious, couldn't some cream work? I repeated the warning and the backpacker finally paid attention. She said "everyone's been telling me to go to a hospital for rabies shots, but you're the first "farang" (how I hate that term) who's told me that. I guess I need to go". I directed her to the nearest hospital.

[searcher22]

I know exactly which area of CMU you're talking about, Sante. I was there a couple of weeks ago with the intention of jogging, until I saw a pack of about 10 dogs in the vicinity, I decided to go elsewhere. Do like me and don't take any chances. Go to Huay Tung Thao or 700 Stadium instead. The same warning goes for the vast City Hall grounds...there's a pack of unfriendly dogs who have claimed part of the territory as theirs. They once came out of nowhere and chased me while I was biking.

[el jefe]

I was set upon by 2 medium sized Alsatian breed dogs one night while walking back to my hotel when I was a new arrival 6 yrs ago.

I tried all the fake stone throwing/standing my ground/barking/shooing away dodges...didn't count for diddly squat.

Moment I turned to walk away, they ran up to bite me on my calf.

After a series of 5 rabies shots at Ram, I read up on it a bit.

Apparently about 10% of soi dogs are infected with rabies here in Thailand.

If you have not been previously immunized, you will need to start a treatment course within 24 hrs.

Even a minor nip, that doesn't draw blood, can be fatal if you are bitten and don't seek treatment until symptoms appear.

The incubation period is 20-40 days, and sometimes symptoms don't appear until a year later.

Best advice- if you are even slightly nipped- even with no blood, go get PET (post exposure treatment).

Don't give up walking- and don't be afraid or paranoid about dogs.

99% leave you alone (just like humans).

When I do my walks now, I always carry an umbrella or a walking stick.

Somehow dogs (even in a pack who are acting territorial) avoid humans carrying a big stick.

Can you tell us where you got that figure of "about 10% of soi dogs are infected with rabies here in Thailand"?

i can't find that anywhere.

The only real stats I can find are:

In 2004, "only 0.03% of stray dogs in Bangkok carry rabies virus". thats 3 in 100,000 dogs - http://www.thaitravelclinic.com/blog/travel-medicine-issue/rabies-vaccine-in-southeast-asia-is-it-necessary.html

There were no cases of human rabies in northern Thailand in 2009 - http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Zoonoses_THA-rabies-cp.pdf

Nor were there any in the first 5 months of 2010 (the closest case of rabies was in Tak - http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/news/newsdetail/2997.aspx

I can't find any stats for periods subsequent to that.

As others have said, if you bend over to pick up an imaginary stone, 99.9% of all dogs will respect the threat. if you meet the 1 in 1,000 dogs that doesn't care, turn and go the other way.

[hellodolly]

I was set upon by 2 medium sized Alsatian breed dogs one night while walking back to my hotel when I was a new arrival 6 yrs ago.

I tried all the fake stone throwing/standing my ground/barking/shooing away dodges...didn't count for diddly squat.

Moment I turned to walk away, they ran up to bite me on my calf.

After a series of 5 rabies shots at Ram, I read up on it a bit.

Apparently about 10% of soi dogs are infected with rabies here in Thailand.

If you have not been previously immunized, you will need to start a treatment course within 24 hrs.

Even a minor nip, that doesn't draw blood, can be fatal if you are bitten and don't seek treatment until symptoms appear.

The incubation period is 20-40 days, and sometimes symptoms don't appear until a year later.

Best advice- if you are even slightly nipped- even with no blood, go get PET (post exposure treatment).

Don't give up walking- and don't be afraid or paranoid about dogs.

99% leave you alone (just like humans).

When I do my walks now, I always carry an umbrella or a walking stick.

Somehow dogs (even in a pack who are acting territorial) avoid humans carrying a big stick.

Can you tell us where you got that figure of "about 10% of soi dogs are infected with rabies here in Thailand"?

i can't find that anywhere.

The only real stats I can find are:

In 2004, "only 0.03% of stray dogs in Bangkok carry rabies virus". thats 3 in 100,000 dogs - http://www.thaitrave...-necessary.html

There were no cases of human rabies in northern Thailand in 2009 - http://www.searo.who...A-rabies-cp.pdf

Nor were there any in the first 5 months of 2010 (the closest case of rabies was in Tak - http://www.fitfortra...etail/2997.aspx

I can't find any stats for periods subsequent to that.

As others have said, if you bend over to pick up an imaginary stone, 99.9% of all dogs will respect the threat. if you meet the 1 in 1,000 dogs that doesn't care, turn and go the other way.

I don't want to quibble about the figures but my advice is to face them and back away. In my personal experience every time I turned around they would make a charge. My Boy was walking along the road from AIS to Loi Kroh and a dog came out of no where and nipped at him. Myself I now carry a cane or a umbrella. Still do not trust them behind my back.

[yankee99]

one in ten with rabbis would be crazy.

[NancyL]

I read McG's post after I wrote mine and thought I was lucky. But, yeah, now that I think about it, if 10% of the wat dogs had rabies we'd all be talking about it.

[mcgriffith]

Can you tell us where you got that figure of "about 10% of soi dogs are infected with rabies here in Thailand"?

i can't find that anywhere.

The only real stats I can find are:

In 2004, "only 0.03% of stray dogs in Bangkok carry rabies virus". thats 3 in 100,000 dogs - http://www.thaitrave...-necessary.html

There were no cases of human rabies in northern Thailand in 2009 - http://www.searo.who...A-rabies-cp.pdf

Nor were there any in the first 5 months of 2010 (the closest case of rabies was in Tak - http://www.fitfortra...etail/2997.aspx

I can't find any stats for periods subsequent to that.

As others have said, if you bend over to pick up an imaginary stone, 99.9% of all dogs will respect the threat. if you meet the 1 in 1,000 dogs that doesn't care, turn and go the other way.

Sure, happy to oblige.

I got the figure here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC2244672/

Looking at your links, and thank you for posting them, I would discount #1. It is a blog posting by an un-named "travm dr" and has no corroborating evidence as to the 0.03% number.

#2 said there were no cases of human rabies in Northern Thailand.

Well, exactly. As in no one died from the disease, as it has a 100% mortality. And unfortunately that info is not correct- see below.

(Because everyone who gets bit or even licked by a dog, goes and gets a series of shots! The Thai Ministry of Health has done a very effective job in reaching even remote rural populations and instructing them of the need for immediate treatment).

You must have misread your #3 link. It reports 13 deaths in Thailand in the first 5 months of 2010. I'm repeating your link below as the last link

Rabies is still endemic in Thailand.

http://epicentre.mas...abhongseMVS.pdf

http://www.bangkokse...tml/rabies.html

http://www.fitfortra...etail/2997.aspx

Even being licked by a carrier animal can transmit the disease.

As the last link I posted above stated:

" Rabies (human) in Thailand

24 June 2010

The Ministry of Public Health has issued a warning to alert the population to the danger of rabies in Thailand.

This comes as a result of 13 human deaths from rabies infection in the first 5 months of 2010; the deaths have been reported from 7 provinces across the country. Twelve of those who died had sustained bites from domestic dogs and one had been bitten by a stray cat.

The city of Bangkok accounts for 6 of the deaths and 2 deaths were reported from the western province of Kanchanaburi. Other provinces reporting one death each include Saraburi, Samut Prakan, Suphan Buri, Tak and Chon Buri. The Health Ministry has now classed Bangkok and Kanchanaburi as danger zones for the spread of rabies virus."

[Lizard2010]

Can you tell us where you got that figure of "about 10% of soi dogs are infected with rabies here in Thailand"?

i can't find that anywhere.

The only real stats I can find are:

In 2004, "only 0.03% of stray dogs in Bangkok carry rabies virus". thats 3 in 100,000 dogs - http://www.thaitrave...-necessary.html

There were no cases of human rabies in northern Thailand in 2009 - http://www.searo.who...A-rabies-cp.pdf

Nor were there any in the first 5 months of 2010 (the closest case of rabies was in Tak - http://www.fitfortra...etail/2997.aspx

I can't find any stats for periods subsequent to that.

As others have said, if you bend over to pick up an imaginary stone, 99.9% of all dogs will respect the threat. if you meet the 1 in 1,000 dogs that doesn't care, turn and go the other way.

Sure, happy to oblige.

I got the figure here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC2244672/

Looking at your links, and thank you for posting them, I would discount #1. It is a blog posting by an un-named "travm dr" and has no corroborating evidence as to the 0.03% number.

#2 said there were no cases of human rabies in Northern Thailand.

Well, exactly. As in no one died from the disease, as it has a 100% mortality. And unfortunately that info is not correct- see below.

(Because everyone who gets bit or even licked by a dog, goes and gets a series of shots! The Thai Ministry of Health has done a very effective job in reaching even remote rural populations and instructing them of the need for immediate treatment).

You must have misread your #3 link. It reports 13 deaths in Thailand in the first 5 months of 2010. I'm repeating your link below as the last link

Rabies is still endemic in Thailand.

http://epicentre.mas...abhongseMVS.pdf

http://www.bangkokse...tml/rabies.html

http://www.fitfortra...etail/2997.aspx

Even being licked by a carrier animal can transmit the disease.

As the last link I posted above stated:

" Rabies (human) in Thailand

24 June 2010

The Ministry of Public Health has issued a warning to alert the population to the danger of rabies in Thailand.

This comes as a result of 13 human deaths from rabies infection in the first 5 months of 2010; the deaths have been reported from 7 provinces across the country. Twelve of those who died had sustained bites from domestic dogs and one had been bitten by a stray cat.

The city of Bangkok accounts for 6 of the deaths and 2 deaths were reported from the western province of Kanchanaburi. Other provinces reporting one death each include Saraburi, Samut Prakan, Suphan Buri, Tak and Chon Buri. The Health Ministry has now classed Bangkok and Kanchanaburi as danger zones for the spread of rabies virus."

No more getting too close to dogs for me.

Thanks for the heads up

[sante]

Thanks for the replies. I may try the "picking up the rock" trick for one or two dogs but the pack I encountered at CMU was large--at least six and all were snarling. Maybe I'll take a walking stick next time I go for a weekend walk although it probably won't be at the University. Where can I get a walking stick?

I responded to the pack using tips I had learned from watching a TV show, The Dog Whisperer. It was easy to spot the alpha dog, who was in front and growling the loudest, so I averted my eyes to show I wasn't challenging him and then slowly turned around and walked away. None of the dogs followed me. Acting submissive, although I was very annoyed, seemed a better idea than risking rabies.

[transam]

Treat all dogs as if they have Rabies. I would be concerned about cats too. I have a cat and dog but a stray cat comes in our garden after dark now and again, attacks and bites the dog.

[BlackArtemis]

The rock trick seems to work 75% of the time.

I have had to kick a few dogs here as they lunged at me. Luckily I connected with their head each time and didn't get bit.

Had a larger dog lunge at me a few years back in the Nimm area soi's. Owners were right there and did nothing, Kicked as hard as I could and sent the dog cowering, told the owners to control their dog or I would. I've had many cases where Thai's don't give a shit about their dog harassing someone in front of them. But I have had an equal amount of times where the owner tries to shoo them or hold them back.

Actually, I forgot, I have been bitten here. Last year while visiting my EX, I didn't know her sister got a bull terrior that was quite territorial. I entered the property and the dog didn't know me and did it's job. I got a few nips, but since I knew the dog had its shots, I just put medicine on the cuts.

[isanbirder]

I've been bitten twice in Chiangmai, once by a dog which I passed on my walks daily.... and my stupid Bangkaew didn't even show it any aggression! The other time was by a dog which darted out of a house by the road, and took a chunk out of my leg. I had rabies shots for both. (And I loved the post about rabbis!)

Generally, soi dogs, even in packs, will back away if you face them... and the stone trick nearly always works. Once (in Chiangmai) a pack of soi dogs took up residence near my home, and the biggest of the pack took it into his head to attack my Bangkaew. That time I let the Bangkaew off his lead... and the soi dog didn't stay around for long. One happy Bangkaew! While they were scrapping, my little maa-baan nipped round the back of the soi dog and bit him, bless him!

[Cyrus2Ray]

I really like this topic, great info for personal safety concerns !

now a little off topic ...( please let's stay on the main topic as a sign of due respect to the OP and this thread )

I was considering having my cats join me later after I moved to Chiang Mai myself,

but I have always been concerned about their safety with all the soi dogs there,

if these dogs ( although I love dogs too ) can be so much trouble for people, then I guess my cats would make a great meal for them if they ever wonder away from the yard and into their reach, ....no ??

Edited July 1, 2012 by Cyrus2Ray

[Thighlander]

I made a pretty good score on the Thais after I was nearly bitten a few weeks ago. I had been in a very nice hotel room and told them I was very interested. It was the place next door, who had let their dog out. I summoned the owner of the hotel and pointed to the neighbor and said tell him "Thank you that you don't have 8000 THB in your hand today. Vacancy sign still stands.

my previous plan was my special ground chicken balls, with a very special anti-freeze filling. There were some pretty good legends around banwangtan about dog poisonings.

Edited July 1, 2012 by Thighlander

[el jefe]

Can you tell us where you got that figure of "about 10% of soi dogs are infected with rabies here in Thailand"?

i can't find that anywhere.

The only real stats I can find are:

In 2004, "only 0.03% of stray dogs in Bangkok carry rabies virus". thats 3 in 100,000 dogs - http://www.thaitrave...-necessary.html

There were no cases of human rabies in northern Thailand in 2009 - http://www.searo.who...A-rabies-cp.pdf

Nor were there any in the first 5 months of 2010 (the closest case of rabies was in Tak - http://www.fitfortra...etail/2997.aspx

I can't find any stats for periods subsequent to that.

As others have said, if you bend over to pick up an imaginary stone, 99.9% of all dogs will respect the threat. if you meet the 1 in 1,000 dogs that doesn't care, turn and go the other way.

Sure, happy to oblige.

I got the figure here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC2244672/

Looking at your links, and thank you for posting them, I would discount #1. It is a blog posting by an un-named "travm dr" and has no corroborating evidence as to the 0.03% number.

#2 said there were no cases of human rabies in Northern Thailand.

Well, exactly. As in no one died from the disease, as it has a 100% mortality. And unfortunately that info is not correct- see below.

(Because everyone who gets bit or even licked by a dog, goes and gets a series of shots! The Thai Ministry of Health has done a very effective job in reaching even remote rural populations and instructing them of the need for immediate treatment).

You must have misread your #3 link. It reports 13 deaths in Thailand in the first 5 months of 2010. I'm repeating your link below as the last link

Rabies is still endemic in Thailand.

http://epicentre.mas...abhongseMVS.pdf

http://www.bangkokse...tml/rabies.html

http://www.fitfortra...etail/2997.aspx

Even being licked by a carrier animal can transmit the disease.

As the last link I posted above stated:

" Rabies (human) in Thailand

24 June 2010

The Ministry of Public Health has issued a warning to alert the population to the danger of rabies in Thailand.

This comes as a result of 13 human deaths from rabies infection in the first 5 months of 2010; the deaths have been reported from 7 provinces across the country. Twelve of those who died had sustained bites from domestic dogs and one had been bitten by a stray cat.

The city of Bangkok accounts for 6 of the deaths and 2 deaths were reported from the western province of Kanchanaburi. Other provinces reporting one death each include Saraburi, Samut Prakan, Suphan Buri, Tak and Chon Buri. The Health Ministry has now classed Bangkok and Kanchanaburi as danger zones for the spread of rabies virus."

McGriffith, I'm glad you found the source of the "10%". but if you can discredit my sources, I can disagree with the "estimates" you linked. ("Thailand has an estimated 10 million stray dogs, with 1 in 10 dogs in Bangkok estimated to be infected with rabies.") I haven't been to Bangkok in years but I find it hard to believe that 10% of the dogs running around now have rabies. It's impossible to dispute "estimates" in those figures since no one is keeping an accurate count.

Those were Bangkok-specific figures. I was trying to keep it a little closer to home by citing northern Thailand links. I apologize for the poorly worded post. My third link was from the Thai govt reporting that there were no cases of human rabies in northern Thailand during the first 5 months of 2010 when the govt said there was a problem in the rest of Thailand.

What everyone should have picked up on was my poor typing (not my bad math ;-) ) so I'll correct it here 0.03% is 3 in 10,000, not what I wrote earlier. And in thinking about it further. I do know of one dog in the CM area that was tested after it died that did have rabies.

Rabies is a serious disease. It is almost always fatal if not treated promptly. if anyone is bit by a mammal, including bats, cats, and squirrels, they MUST get rabies shots. But in CM the risk of rabies, as presented, is overblown. More people contract, and die from, dengue fever every year. but mosquito bites aren't as exciting a topic as dog bites.

One other point about avoiding a dog attack. an earlier poster said never hesitate or show fear. That may not always be best. If you stare back at a dog, that might be interpreted as being aggressive. If you need to pass an aggressive dog, you should neither turn your back to it nor stare it down. Pass by slowly without staring at it.

[villagefarang]

Maybe country dogs are different from city dogs but I never seem to have a problem. Most dogs act pretty much like my own pack of dogs. Moments before I was set upon by five dogs looking like this. Lots of noise and teeth but nothing to get excited about. I saw them running to cut me off, so instead of taunting them I just got off the bike and had a drink of water.

When I turned the camera on them, they got all shy on me.

After a quick sniff and a pat on the head...

I rode off without anyone taking notice.

I suppose I could have resorted to violence but beat them senseless but I couldn't see the point. They were only doing their job, protecting their owner and his stuff. He did stop cutting weeds briefly to see what was going on but was soon back at work with his weed whacker. Maybe I am just used to dogs as there are so many living here in the village.

[mcgriffith]

All good posts, and I want to emphasize that I am not trying to instill fear about dogs in Thailand.

Since that one incident 6 yrs ago, I have had no problem with dogs here at all.

The fake stone trick is fine maybe 75% of the time. It didn't work for me as mentioned above.

But not to belabor the point, rabies, if not treated promply after exposure, has a near 100% mortality.

As in, you get a minor nip (or even a lick) from an infected animal (doesn't have to be a dog- monkeys are the 2nd largest vector group in Thailand), and you don't get treated early on...by the time symptoms appear- you will most likely die.

From Wikipedia:

"The period between infection and the first flu-like symptoms is typically two to twelve weeks, but incubation periods as short as four days and longer than six years have been documented, depending on the location and severity of the inoculating wound and the amount of virus introduced. Soon after, the symptoms expand to slight or partial paralysis, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, agitation, abnormal behavior, paranoia, terror, hallucinations, progressing to delirium.^[2][7] Rabies has been called hydrophobia because victims, locally paralyzed and unable to swallow, have been known to become agitated at the sight of water.^[8]

Death almost invariably results two to ten days after first symptoms. Once symptoms have presented, survival is rare, even with the administration of proper and intensive care.^[9] In 2005 Jeanna Giese, the first patient treated with the Milwaukee protocol,^[10] became the first person ever recorded to survive rabies without receiving successful postexposure prophylaxis. An intention to treat analysis has since found that this protocol has a survival rate of about eight percent.^[11]"

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies}

^{My advice is just stop petting and playing around with street animals that don't have a vaccination tag on a collar (in Thailand almost non-existant).}

^{If you have contact, get treatment right away. As in a day or so.}

^{Scrubbing with soap and warm water and povidone iodine is great to prevent bacterial infections.}

^{It is worthless against the rabies virus.}

[Howzitbro]

Can you tell us where you got that figure of "about 10% of soi dogs are infected with rabies here in Thailand"?

i can't find that anywhere.

The only real stats I can find are:

In 2004, "only 0.03% of stray dogs in Bangkok carry rabies virus". thats 3 in 100,000 dogs - http://www.thaitrave...-necessary.html

There were no cases of human rabies in northern Thailand in 2009 - http://www.searo.who...A-rabies-cp.pdf

Nor were there any in the first 5 months of 2010 (the closest case of rabies was in Tak - http://www.fitfortra...etail/2997.aspx

I can't find any stats for periods subsequent to that.

As others have said, if you bend over to pick up an imaginary stone, 99.9% of all dogs will respect the threat. if you meet the 1 in 1,000 dogs that doesn't care, turn and go the other way.

Sure, happy to oblige.

I got the figure here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC2244672/

Looking at your links, and thank you for posting them, I would discount #1. It is a blog posting by an un-named "travm dr" and has no corroborating evidence as to the 0.03% number.

#2 said there were no cases of human rabies in Northern Thailand.

Well, exactly. As in no one died from the disease, as it has a 100% mortality. And unfortunately that info is not correct- see below.

(Because everyone who gets bit or even licked by a dog, goes and gets a series of shots! The Thai Ministry of Health has done a very effective job in reaching even remote rural populations and instructing them of the need for immediate treatment).

You must have misread your #3 link. It reports 13 deaths in Thailand in the first 5 months of 2010. I'm repeating your link below as the last link

Rabies is still endemic in Thailand.

http://epicentre.mas...abhongseMVS.pdf

http://www.bangkokse...tml/rabies.html

http://www.fitfortra...etail/2997.aspx

Even being licked by a carrier animal can transmit the disease.

As the last link I posted above stated:

" Rabies (human) in Thailand

24 June 2010

The Ministry of Public Health has issued a warning to alert the population to the danger of rabies in Thailand.

This comes as a result of 13 human deaths from rabies infection in the first 5 months of 2010; the deaths have been reported from 7 provinces across the country. Twelve of those who died had sustained bites from domestic dogs and one had been bitten by a stray cat.

The city of Bangkok accounts for 6 of the deaths and 2 deaths were reported from the western province of Kanchanaburi. Other provinces reporting one death each include Saraburi, Samut Prakan, Suphan Buri, Tak and Chon Buri. The Health Ministry has now classed Bangkok and Kanchanaburi as danger zones for the spread of rabies virus."

McGriffith, I'm glad you found the source of the "10%". but if you can discredit my sources, I can disagree with the "estimates" you linked. ("Thailand has an estimated 10 million stray dogs, with 1 in 10 dogs in Bangkok estimated to be infected with rabies.") I haven't been to Bangkok in years but I find it hard to believe that 10% of the dogs running around now have rabies. It's impossible to dispute "estimates" in those figures since no one is keeping an accurate count.

Those were Bangkok-specific figures. I was trying to keep it a little closer to home by citing northern Thailand links. I apologize for the poorly worded post. My third link was from the Thai govt reporting that there were no cases of human rabies in northern Thailand during the first 5 months of 2010 when the govt said there was a problem in the rest of Thailand.

What everyone should have picked up on was my poor typing (not my bad math ;-) ) so I'll correct it here 0.03% is 3 in 10,000, not what I wrote earlier. And in thinking about it further. I do know of one dog in the CM area that was tested after it died that did have rabies.

Rabies is a serious disease. It is almost always fatal if not treated promptly. if anyone is bit by a mammal, including bats, cats, and squirrels, they MUST get rabies shots. But in CM the risk of rabies, as presented, is overblown. More people contract, and die from, dengue fever every year. but mosquito bites aren't as exciting a topic as dog bites.

One other point about avoiding a dog attack. an earlier poster said never hesitate or show fear. That may not always be best. If you stare back at a dog, that might be interpreted as being aggressive. If you need to pass an aggressive dog, you should neither turn your back to it nor stare it down. Pass by slowly without staring at it.

If you are at all of risk of contracting rabies you should strongly consider the rabies vaccination. There is some good information on the US Centers for Disease Control website: http://www.cdc.gov/v.../vis-rabies.pdf

[mcgriffith]

Rabies is a serious disease. It is almost always fatal if not treated promptly. if anyone is bit by a mammal, including bats, cats, and squirrels, they MUST get rabies shots. But in CM the risk of rabies, as presented, is overblown. More people contract, and die from, dengue fever every year. but mosquito bites aren't as exciting a topic as dog bites.

No disagreement at all from me.

The difference between dengue fever and rabies, is that dengue has a very low mortality rate, except for the dengue hemorrhagic variant.

Rabies, if not promptly treated after exposure, is almost always 100% fatal as you said.

[Beetlejuice]

one in ten with rabbis would be crazy.

It`s true.

Down my way the Rabbis can be extremely aggressive.

Below is a photo of my French neighbor who suffered some appalling injuries in a completely unprovoked attack.

After an extensive police investigation, they concluded that it was the smell of Bagels and Gefilte Fish in my neighbor`s shopping bag that attracted them.

Edited July 1, 2012 by Beetlejuice

[Cyrus2Ray]

Maybe country dogs are different from city dogs but I never seem to have a problem. Most dogs act pretty much like my own pack of dogs. Moments before I was set upon by five dogs looking like this. Lots of noise and teeth but nothing to get excited about. I saw them running to cut me off, so instead of taunting them I just got off the bike and had a drink of water.

When I turned the camera on them, they got all shy on me.

After a quick sniff and a pat on the head...

I rode off without anyone taking notice.

I suppose I could have resorted to violence but beat them senseless but I couldn't see the point. They were only doing their job, protecting their owner and his stuff. He did stop cutting weeds briefly to see what was going on but was soon back at work with his weed whacker. Maybe I am just used to dogs as there are so many living here in the village.

Great Point ! ... glad to see that compassion towards animals still exists in spite of the perceived threats.

[dingdang]

i cant confirm that throwning imaginary stones or padding the head or the usual things at all are of any help..

maybe, throwing stones helps when you encounter a dog on the street, where he is as home as you are...

but otherwise, they have to defend their territory, and they dont succumb to the old tricks...

for my experience, the more you interact with them (screaming, throwing things), the worse it gets..

first the move back, but when you move on, they attack from behind...

i think best is, to walk through and not to look at them at all...

IF you get attacked, then hit - if possible with a metal chain... you have to be prepared to kill them in this case, i think...

because - the difference here is - that they attack in groups... you rarely have to deal with one dog...

you cant predict, if a dog attacks or not... if he didnt yesterday, he might tomorrow...

because also in a dogs life, things happen...

i used to go to a cafe, sitting outside... some two dogs live there, they are wild dogs, stay outside...

i padded and stroke one of them, before i even noticed a second one...

the second one couldnt approach me, he was barked off by the stroked one...

whenever i was sitting there, more and more the dogs barked and even chased passerbys on the street...

in another restaurant or next to it, a group of dogs is living... they had two puppies, one bangkok-style and another one - ultra-cute, with hanging ears, white with some black and brown patches... both didnt react to people, they were busy walking and sniffing around the place...

one evening, i passed the closed restaurant, and the bangkok-puppy run towards me, i was puzzled and for a split-second reached out to him... at this moment, the dad - totally aggressive - approached me and - i thought - he bit me... the others did not attack... i noticed, that the cuty had gone - i never saw it again...

at home, i couldnt see any marks on the leg...

i think in case you are attacked, you have to take really action... pepperspray or a chain... a stick is never useful... not even at aggressive european dogs... imo...and dont try to touch them, they will bite in your hand first thing..

Edited July 1, 2012 by dingdang

[freedomnow]

Simple,cheap, (relatively) humane.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Ultrasonic-Pet-Dog-Repeller-Training-Device-Trainer-/250366348641?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a4aff4d61