Ellijay (GA) – Gilmer County Environmental Health officials announced today that a local male Siberian Husky came into contact with a raccoon that has now tested positive for rabies.
On February 7, the dog owner found the dog with the dead raccoon on Willard Mountain Road in the area of Big Creek and Doublehead Gap Roads near the Gilmer-Fannin County line.
There was no human exposure to the raccoon.
The raccoon was sent for rabies testing to the Georgia Department of Public Health Laboratory, and the positive results were returned on February 8.
The dog was current on its rabies vaccination; therefore, the only treatment required was a rabies booster shot and a 45-day observation period.
“This is a happy ending as opposed to what could have been a very unhappy one,” said Andrea Martin, Gilmer County Environmental Health Manager. “And it’s all due to the owners responsibly keeping their pet current on its rabies vaccination.”
Health officials urge residents to prevent the spread of rabies by maintaining current rabies vaccinations in their pets and by avoiding contact with all unfamiliar animals, both domestic and wild.
For more information about rabies, please contact Gilmer County Environmental Health at (706) 635-6050 or log onto the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov.