Health Officials Search For Man Who Sold Rabid Puppy In Sulphur

The Oklahoma Department of Health (OSDH) is searching for people who may have been exposed to a rabid puppy recently sold by Bivens Dog Trade in Sulphur, Oklahoma.

The 10-week-old Bluetick/Walker Coonhound was sold Sunday, June 9 on Highway 177 north of Highway 7. The pup was one of five or six puppies for sale that day for $100 each. Just a few days later, the puppy became sick and died. The OSDH Public Health Laboratory confirmed the dog had rabies.

Health officials released a picture of the puppy. All the pups in the litter looked similar and had black, brown and white markings.

The person who sold the puppy is a white male in his early 50s, approximately 6 feet tall with a medium build, red hair and a mustache. He was wearing a tan uniform-style shirt when he sold the dog. It's believed he lives somewhere in southern Oklahoma. The man was also accompanied by a young adult male with a slender build and dark brown hair.

Public health officials want the seller of the mixed-breed Coonhound puppies, and anyone who came in contact with the litter, to immediately call the OSDH epidemiologist at (405) 271-4060 or (800) 234-5963.

Health officials hope to quickly locate the litter and determine who may have been exposed to rabies. Anyone who had physical contact with the puppies needs to receive immunization shots.

Rabies is a viral disease that can be transmitted to animals and humans mainly by a bite, but exposure may also occur through inoculation of saliva or nervous tissue into an opening in the skin or mucous membrane.