![\"Robyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/coverimages55926274-5ca1.jpg\")
\n\t\tRobyn Thompson says her mum Yvonne was the heart of their family (Picture: Cover Media)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tRobyn Thompson says her mum Yvonne was the heart of their family (Picture: Cover Media)<\/p>\n
A much-loved Brit mum died of rabies after being scratched by a puppy<\/a> as she relaxed on a sun lounger.<\/p>\n Yvonne Ford and her husband Ron jetted off to Morocco<\/a> in February 2025 for what they expected to be an enjoyable holiday abroad. <\/p>\n The couple were relaxing on sun loungers when a stray puppy appeared and scratched 59-year-old Yvonne\u2019s leg, leaving what appeared to be nothing more than a superficial mark.<\/p>\n Looking back, Yvonne\u2019s daughter, Robyn Thomson, says her parents never imagined the incident posed any danger.<\/p>\n \u2018They were relaxing on the beach on the sun beds. Mum had put her legs down onto the sand and must have startled the puppy,\u201d she says. \u2018The puppy scratched her leg leaving a very minimal scratch on her leg.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n \u2018It barely broke the skin and looked so insignificant that she simply cleaned it with a wet wipe and carried on enjoying the holiday.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t At the time, the family thought nothing more of it.<\/p>\n \u2018It 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. We simply didn\u2019t know,\u2019 Robyn, 33, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, says.<\/p>\n \u2018That tiny scratch had absolutely changed our lives forever.\u2019<\/p>\n When Yvonne returned home to the UK, Robyn remembers asking whether she wanted to get the scratch checked, but Yvonne declined because it seemed so insignificant.<\/p>\n \u2018If someone had told us then that such a tiny scratch could be fatal months later, we would never have believed it,\u2019 Robyn says.<\/p>\n For weeks after returning home, Yvonne appeared perfectly healthy and life returned to normal.<\/p>\n Then, in early June, she developed a headache and, within days, her condition rapidly deteriorated, leading to her being admitted to Barnsley Hospital.<\/p>\n \t\t She first developed a headache before eventually beginning to lose the ability to walk and talk.<\/p>\n \u2018It was the most devastating thing we\u2019ve ever been through,\u2019 Robyn says. \u2018The disease spread through her body so rapidly once the symptoms started. It all started with a headache.\u2019<\/p>\n From there, her condition worsened with terrifying speed.<\/p>\n \u2018One minute mum was independent and full of life, and then she deteriorated so quickly,\u2019 Robyn says. \u2018She became confused, frightened and started hallucinating. Eventually she couldn\u2019t walk, couldn\u2019t talk properly, couldn\u2019t swallow, couldn\u2019t eat and couldn\u2019t sleep.\u2019<\/p>\n Robyn says that watching her mum deteriorate was excruciating<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018As her daughter, watching someone you\u2019ve looked up to your entire life become so desperately ill and knowing there was nothing anyone could do was unbearable,\u2019 the neonatal nurse says.<\/p>\n \t\t As Yvonne\u2019s condition worsened, doctors struggled to determine what was making her so ill. Five agonising days passed before a psychiatrist, who initially suspected Lyme disease, recognised the symptoms and asked about her recent travel history.<\/p>\n \u2018This is what I\u2019ve found so hard, knowing that nobody knew what was causing my mum to be so poorly for the first five days until a doctor within the mental health<\/a> sector suggested it could be a possibility,\u2019 Robyn says.<\/p>\n One of the things she remembers the most was the shock of being told that her mum had contracted rabies.<\/p>\n \u2018It was the worst news we could have received because there was no cure, nothing to be done to bring mum back,\u2019 she says. \u2018The damage was already done.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tWhat you need to know about rabies\t\t\t<\/p>\n Initial symptoms can include anxiety, headaches and fever \u2018Rabies 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.\u2019<\/p>\n Yvonne was then transferred to the infectious disease unit at Sheffield\u2019s Royal Hallamshire Hospital, where she died on 11 June, four months after being scratched by the puppy.<\/p>\n Now Robyn knows that if there had been more awareness around rabies at the time, her mum might still be here.<\/p>\n \u2018Looking back now, that\u2019s one of the hardest things to accept. If we\u2019d understood the risk and known she needed urgent treatment immediately, everything could have been different,\u2019 she says. \u2018We would have pushed her to get the treatment and it would have saved her life.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Robyn is now campaigning for greater awareness of rabies to help prevent other families experiencing the same heartbreak.<\/p>\n \u2018I wish there were more awareness, more awareness when booking holidays about the risk of potential exposure in certain high-risk countries,\u2019 she says. \u2018I wish someone had told us that there is no such thing as \u2018just a scratch\u2019 when it comes to rabies.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018I wish we\u2019d known that washing the wound thoroughly and getting post-exposure treatment immediately can save your life. That lack of awareness cost us our mum.\u2019<\/p>\n Speaking about Yvonne, Robyn describes her as \u2018the heart\u2019 of their family.<\/p>\n \u2018She was funny, warm, caring and incredibly selfless,\u2019 she says. \u2018She always put everyone else before herself and absolutely adored her family, especially being a Nannie to her four grandchildren.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018She 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.\u2019<\/p>\n Robyn says her mum was also an animal lover who would never have imagined a puppy could pose such a danger.<\/p>\n \u2018Mum loved animals and would never have imagined that a friendly looking puppy could pose such a danger,\u2019 she says. \u2018That\u2019s one of the biggest misconceptions people have. She would never want any harm to come to the dog.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t The scratch wasn\u2019t the result of a vicious attack but a chance encounter that would have devastating consequences.<\/p>\n \u2018It was a stray puppy that didn\u2019t seem threatening,\u2019 Robyn says. \u2018That\u2019s exactly why people need to understand that you can\u2019t judge the risk by how the animal behaves or how serious the injury looks.\u2019<\/p>\n Robyn is now working with Worldwide Veterinary Service and its Mission Rabies program to ensure that this doesn\u2019t happen to anyone else.<\/p>\n \u2018After losing mum, I felt I had to do something,\u2019 she says. \u2018I couldn\u2019t change what had happened to our family, but I could help stop it happening to somebody else\u2019s.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Working with Worldwide Veterinary Service and Mission Rabies has shown me the incredible work<\/a> that\u2019s being done to eliminate rabies by vaccinating dogs and educating communities.\u2019<\/p>\n Robyn also has a message for anyone else who is scratched or bitten by an animal while travelling overseas but thinks it\u2019s \u201conly a minor scratch\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2018Please don\u2019t take the risk,\u2019 she says. \u2018Our family thought it was only a tiny scratch too.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and running water straight away and seek urgent medical advice immediately, even if the injury seems insignificant. Don\u2019t wait until you get home, and don\u2019t assume you\u2019ll be fine because the animal looked healthy or friendly. The vaccines could save your life.\u2019<\/p>\n Rabies is present in more than 150 countries<\/a>, including popular holiday destinations such as Turkey<\/a>, Morocco and Thailand<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to Worldwide Veterinary Service, nearly half of Brits (47%) 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.<\/p>\n As a result, the organisation launched the 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 over the summer.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/coverimages55926278-2ec8.jpg\")
\n\t\tYvonne Ford and her husband Ron enjoyed travelling together (Picture: Cover Media)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/coverimages55926279-2a08.jpg\")
\n\t\tYvonne Ford, her husband Ron and one of her grandchildren. (Picture: Cover Media)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/coverimages55926276-208d.jpg\")
\n\t\tRobyn Thomson is now campaigning with Worldwide Veterinary Service (Picture: Cover Media)<\/p>\n
\nThere may be hallucinations and respiratory failure if it develops
\nSpasms of the muscles used for swallowing make it difficult for the patient to drink
\nThe incubation period between being infected and showing symptoms is between three and 12 weeks
\nIf you are bitten, scratched or licked by an animal, you must wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay
\nOnce symptoms have developed, rabies is almost always fatal
\nBefore symptoms develop, rabies can be treated with a course of vaccine \u2013 this is \u2018extremely effective\u2019 when given promptly after a bite \u2013 along with rabies immunoglobulin if required
\nEvery year, more than 15million people worldwide receive a post-bite vaccination, and this is estimated to prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths
\nPre-exposure immunisation is recommended for people in certain high-risk occupations and for travellers to rabies-affected, remote areas<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/coverimages55926277-83b3.jpg\")
\n\t\tRobyn works with Worldwide Veterinary Service and its Mission Rabies program (Picture: Cover Media)
\n\u2018I wish there were more awareness\u2019<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/coverimages55926275-eb9b.jpg\")
\n\t\tRobyn Thomson during her campaign work in Cambodia in 2025 (Picture: Cover Media)<\/p>\n
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