The daughter of a woman who died from rabies after being grazed by a puppy has said a “tiny scratch changed our lives forever”. Yvonne Ford, 59, died four months after the encounter during a holiday in Morocco in February 2025.
She was on a sun lounger with her husband Ron when a stray dog appeared and scraped her leg, leaving a “very minimal” mark. Her daughter, Robyn Thomson, of Barnsley, South Yorks., said her parents never imagined the incident posed any danger.
She said: “It barely broke the skin and looked so insignificant that she simply cleaned it with a wet wipe and carried on enjoying the holiday. It was Mum and Dad enjoying a holiday together, and none of us had any idea that such a tiny scratch could expose someone to rabies.”
A tiny scratch with fatal consequences
Robyn added: “We simply didn’t know. That tiny scratch had absolutely changed our lives forever.” When Yvonne returned to her home in Barnsley, Robyn remembers asking whether she wanted to get the scratch checked. Yvonne declined because it seemed so insignificant.
Robyn, 33, of Barnsley, said: “If someone had told us then that such a tiny scratch could be fatal months later, we would never have believed it.” For weeks, she appeared healthy, but in early June, she developed a headache before beginning to lose the ability to walk and talk.
Neonatal nurse Robyn said: “It was the most devastating thing we’ve ever been through. The disease spread through her body so rabidly once the symptoms started. It all started with a headache.”
Rapid deterioration and diagnosis
From there, her condition worsened. Robyn said: “One minute Mum was independent and full of life, and then she deteriorated so quickly. She became confused, frightened and started hallucinating. Eventually she couldn’t walk, couldn’t talk properly, couldn’t swallow, couldn’t eat and couldn’t sleep.
“As her daughter, watching someone you’ve looked up to your entire life become so desperately ill and knowing there was nothing anyone could do was unbearable.” As her condition worsened, doctors struggled to determine what was making her so ill. Five days passed before a psychiatrist, who initially suspected Lyme disease, recognised the symptoms and asked about her recent travel history.
Robyn said: “It was the worst news we could have received because there was no cure, nothing to be done to bring mum back. The damage was already done. Rabies was never something we imagined could affect our family. You associate it with something that happens somewhere else, not to your mum after a holiday. Especially with the scratch being so tiny and minimal.”
Campaigning for awareness
Yvonne was transferred to an infectious disease unit at another hospital, where she died on June 11 last year. Robyn said if there had been more awareness around rabies at the time, her mum might still be here. She said: “Looking back now, that’s one of the hardest things to accept. If we’d understood the risk and known she needed urgent treatment immediately, everything could have been different. We would have pushed her to get the treatment and it would have saved her life.”
Robyn is now campaigning for greater awareness of rabies to help prevent other families experiencing the same heartbreak. She said: “I wish there were more awareness when booking holidays about the risk of potential exposure in certain high-risk countries.
“I wish someone had told us that there is no such thing as ‘just a scratch’ when it comes to rabies. I wish we’d known that washing the wound thoroughly and getting post-exposure treatment immediately can save your life. That lack of awareness cost us our Mum.”
She described her as “the heart” of their family, adding: “She was funny, warm, caring and incredibly selfless. She always put everyone else before herself and absolutely adored her family, especially being a Nannie to her four grandchildren.
“She had so much life left to live. She and my dad, Ron, had worked hard all their lives and were enjoying making memories together. They loved travelling and experiencing different cultures, and the holiday to Morocco was supposed to be another wonderful adventure together.”
Robyn is now working with Worldwide Veterinary Service and its Mission Rabies programme to ensure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else. She added: “Please don’t take the risk. Our family thought it was only a tiny scratch too.
“Don’t wait until you get home, and don’t assume you’ll be fine because the animal looked healthy or friendly. The vaccines could save your life.”
Rabies is present in more than 150 countries, including popular holiday destinations such as Turkey, Morocco and Thailand. According to Worldwide Veterinary Service, nearly half of Brits say they would approach or interact with a dog or cat abroad and 61% do not know that rabies can be transmitted if an infected animal licks an open wound or scratch.
As a result, the organisation is launching its Think Rabies Before You Travel campaign, urging holidaymakers to check local rabies risk, avoid contact with unfamiliar animals and seek immediate help after any potential exposure this summer.
