Tragic Warning: British Woman’s Holiday Scratch Leads to Deadly Rabies Battle

Ever wonder how a seemingly harmless puppy scratch during a sunny Moroccan holiday could spiral into a devastating tragedy? Yvonne Ford, a vibrant 59-year-old grandmother from Barnsley and an animal lover at heart, faced just that unimaginable fate after a tiny nip beneath her sunbed turned deadly. What started as mild illness morphed into a harrowing battle with rabies—a disease notorious for its grim final act. Now, in the wake of this heartbreaking loss, her daughter Robyn Thomson steps into the spotlight, channeling grief into a fierce campaign to vaccinate dogs and educate communities in far-flung corners of the world. It’s a somber reminder: sometimes love for animals needs a dash of caution too. LEARN MORE

The daughter of a British woman who died of rabies has spoken up about the situation for the first time.

Yvonne Ford, from Barnsley, was on holiday in Morocco in February this year when she was ‘very slightly’ scratched by a puppy lying underneath her sunbed.

As a result, she started to feel quite ill, with her symptoms slowly getting worse to the point where she couldn’t walk, talk, sleep, or swallow.

The grandmother, 59, even started to hallucinate and developed a fear of water while in hospital.

In June, her family took to social media to confirm that she had died as a result of the condition.

Speaking about the ‘unimaginable loss’, they aim to spread awareness about the dangers of rabies.

Yvonne Ford was an ‘animal lover’ (GoFundMe)

Now, her daughter Robyn Thomson, 32, aims to vaccinate dogs against rabies to save other families from suffering a similar outcome.

The neonatal nurse described her mum as ‘the most loving person imaginable’ with ‘the biggest heart’, praising how good she was as a grandparent to her four grandkids.

“She was a huge animal lover so for her to have died of rabies – it is just particularly horrendous,” Robyn said.

It took a while for Yvonne to develop symptoms, as she died four months after being scratched, with Robyn clarifying that ‘there was no blood and no evidence of the dog being unwell’.

“Mum came home and everything was normal. We went to Florida as a family and she went fishing with my dad,” she went on.

“But in June she came down with this horrendous headache. She was in a lot of pain so went to hospital,” the daughter explained, before the major symptoms kicked in.

The mum was scratched by a puppy on holiday but thought nothing of it (GoFundMe)

Robyn added: “She couldn’t swallow. She was choking on her own saliva. So doctors put her in an induced coma.

“It wasn’t until over a week later that she was diagnosed with rabies.”

The neonatal nurse explained that there’s ‘only one outcome for rabies’ when symptoms develop: “Death every time.”

“So we had to turn off her life support,” she heartbreakingly admitted.

Later, the family learned that it can take months for symptoms to show, though the disease can incubate for a maximum of two years.

Robyn aims to spread awareness of rabies, with the goal of stopping it at the source.

She plans to fly out to Cambodia in October to volunteer with Mission Rabies, a charity that leads mass dog vaccination campaigns.

They’re also known for rabies surveillance and community education across Asia and Africa.

Together, they aim to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the dog population in order to hit herd immunity, while educating children on identifying rabid animals and keeping safe.

She was on holiday with her husband in Morocco (GoFundMe)

However, to volunteer with the charity, Robyn must raise funds to pay for accommodation, travel, and project fees.

She has launched a GoFundMe and is asking the public for help, adding: “This is something I need to do.

“If I can save even one life through this work, or spare one family from going through the pain we have experienced, then it will be turning a terrible negative into something positive.”

She added that she is ‘determined’ to use her grief for something good.

You can donate to the GoFundMe here.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.