Chatsworth (GA) – A Chatsworth dog fought and killed a raccoon that has now tested positive for rabies. The dog is current on its rabies vaccinations so will only need a booster shot and to undergo a 45-day quarantine at home, but health officials are warning neighbors that multiple raccoons have been spotted near the property where the incident occurred and to take extra precautions against rabies.

Murray County Environmental Health Manager Jason Baum said on Wednesday, January 2, a resident on Center Hill Church Road in Chatsworth reported that the dog living at the residence had gotten into a fight with the raccoon on the property and killed it.

The Georgia Public Health Laboratory informed health officials that the raccoon tested positive for rabies.

There was no human exposure in this incident.

Baum and his staff have distributed to neighboring homes in the area fliers that alert residents to the exposure and urge them to get pets boosted or vaccinated against rabies.

Murray County residents can get more information about rabies and its prevention by calling their county environmental health office at (706) 695-0266, or by logging on to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website page, Rabies Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/rabies/public/index.html.