Rabies VirusJasper (GA) — Jan Stephens of Pickens County Environmental Health recently announced that a local dog had to be euthanized after fighting with a rabies infected raccoon.

“When the raccoon wandered into the carport of a home in the Hobson Creek area on January 21, the homeowner’s dog fought with it and ran the raccoon up a tree,” said Stephens. “The owner then shot the raccoon and called our office the next day.”

The raccoon was sent to the Georgia Department of Public Health Laboratory for rabies testing, and the positive result was reported on January 23.

The dog was not vaccinated against rabies and it had puncture wounds on its neck as a result of the incident; therefore, the difficult decision to have the dog “put to sleep” was made on January 30.

No human exposure to this raccoon was reported.

Health officials urge the public to consult with their veterinarian to confirm that their pets are current on their rabies vaccinations.

For more information about rabies, please contact Pickens County Environmental Health at (706) 253-0900 or log onto www.cdc.gov.