Four-Month-Old Puppy Bites Three in Jembrana, Tests Positive for Rabies

JEMBRANA, KOMPAS.com - A four-month-old puppy that bit three members of a family in Baler Bale Agung Village, Negara District, Jembrana Regency, Bali, has tested positive for rabies.

The diagnosis was confirmed after the puppy's brain samples were examined at the Denpasar Veterinary Center (BBVet) on Friday night (September 18, 2026).

In addition to the case in Baler Bale Agung, two other dog samples from different areas in Jembrana also tested positive for rabies.

These cases were found in Banjar Munduk, Pohsanten Village, Mendoyo District, and Banjar Moding Kaja, Candikusuma Village, Melaya District.

The Head of Livestock and Animal Health Division at the Jembrana Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Service, I Gusti Ngurah Putu Sugiarta, said that out of five samples sent for testing, three came back positive.

"Out of five samples we sent to BBVet, three were confirmed positive for rabies," Sugiarta said when contacted on Sunday (September 20, 2026).

Puppy bites three family members

The case in Baler Bale Agung began when the family’s pet puppy bit three people in succession.

The victims are Ni Komang Ayu Suarniti (42) and her two children, Conradus Febatan Tri Sandi (15) and Dominika Sanyo Bayu (23).

Suarniti said the dog was their own pet, only four months old.

"The puppy is ours, four months old," she explained at her home.

She was first bitten on September 8, 2026, while bathing the puppy.

According to Suarniti, the puppy exhibited unusual behavior during the bath.

The dog was shivering and had scratch wounds, possibly from fighting with another dog.

"The mother dog is vaccinated, but my puppy had not yet received vaccination. There were bite marks on the puppy’s body that may have been from an attack by another dog earlier. I’m not exactly sure," she said.

On Saturday (September 12, 2026), Sandi was bitten again while trying to find fleas on the puppy.

The bite was on his thumb.

The next day, Sunday (September 13, 2026), Bayu was bitten on her left elbow while trying to move the puppy to a safer place.

The puppy was then found dead on Monday (September 14, 2026).

Veterinary medical officers took brain samples for testing at BBVet Denpasar.

"The authorities have handled the case. My children and I have also received the first round of vaccination," Suarniti emphasized.

Two other positive rabies cases discovered

Apart from the Baler Bale Agung case, officials found two other positive rabies samples.

Sugiarta said one case involved a six-month-old mixed-breed dog in Banjar Munduk, Pohsanten Village, Mendoyo District.

The dog reportedly bit a local resident without any provocation.

The other case involved a three-year-old local male dog in Banjar Moding Kaja, Candikusuma Village, Melaya District.

The dog reportedly attacked a resident.

Following these findings, Jembrana veterinary medical officers will conduct emergency rabies vaccinations around the locations where the positive cases were found.

This measure aims to build herd immunity among animals that transmit rabies.

Unvaccinated puppy in Baler Bale Agung

Sugiarta said the puppy that bit the family in Baler Bale Agung had not received rabies vaccination.

During previous vaccination campaigns, officers did not meet the owner as the house was empty.

"The case in Baler Bale Agung is the first this year for that area," Sugiarta added.

Before laboratory results were available, the case was categorized as a suspected rabies case because the dog died after biting three people.

According to the officers’ chronology, the dog likely attacked after being provoked, such as during bathing, flea searching, or moving the dog.

"Brain samples from the biting dog have been taken and will be tested soon at BBVet Denpasar. So far, the incidents suggest the dog attacked due to provocation," he explained.

Officials prepare emergency vaccination

Sugiarta noted that so far, 21 positive rabies cases have been found in animals in Negara District.

However, no positive rabies cases had previously been detected this year in Baler Bale Agung Village.

Veterinary medical personnel will conduct screenings of unvaccinated rabies-transmitting animals, especially around confirmed positive case locations.

"We urge residents who own puppies a few months old and who haven’t been vaccinated yet to immediately contact us for follow-up. Most of the positive samples sent and tested recently were puppies," he urged.

The screening and emergency vaccination aim to prevent the spread of rabies and raise public awareness about the disease.

Part of this article was originally published in Tribun-Bali.com titled "Bite Scratch Marks Found, Puppy that Bit a Family in Jembrana Bali Tests Positive for Rabies".