Lenoir sees first confirmed rabies case of 2008

A raccoon killed by two local dogs last week has tested positive for rabies, county officials reported Monday.

It is the first confirmed cased of rabies in Lenoir County this year, Health Director Joey Huff said. There were no confirmed cases in 2007.

"Any time we get a rabies case, we always let the public know because it's out there and people just need to be aware of it," Dr. Ray Randall of Kinston's Riverbank Animal Hospital said.

Huff explained that the owner of two dogs had contacted the Health Department early last week and reported they had killed a raccoon that was on his Seven Springs property over the weekend.

The dogs have been held in Kinston Riverbank Animal Hospital since the incident and will remain there until the owner finalizes arrangements with health officials to quarantine them on his property for six months, Huff said.

The dogs were not vaccinated, leaving the owner with the option of either having them quarantined or euthanized.

Randall said dogs or cats that have a current vaccine and have come in contact with a suspected rabid animal, usually foxes or raccoons, are quarantined for 10 days. He encouraged pet owners to contact their veterinarian to ensure their rabies vaccines are up-to-date.

To stay with their owner, the dogs must be kept in a "double-penned, locked enclosure," Huff said. Health Department staffers will stop in occasionally to look for symptoms of rabies such as behavioral changes. The owner must also report any symptoms he observes.

Since it is a neurological disease, the only way to diagnose rabies is to examine the brain tissue after the victim has died.

The disease is treatable in humans, but treatment must begin immediately after the victim is bitten, before symptoms appear. Once the symptoms begin, though, it is fatal, Huff said.

Huff and Randall said that foxes and raccoons often come on to residents' property looking for food.

Owners should only be concerned when the wild animal does not run away upon seeing a human or a dog, but stands its ground. If the animal becomes aggressive, owners should collect their pets and get inside, wait for the animal to leave and call 911.

"Of course, it's best not to leave food out so the animals don't come on your property in the first place," Huff said.

David Anderson can be reached at (252) 559-1077 or danderson@freedomenc.com.

If your dog or cat exhibits any of the following symptoms, he or she could have rabies:

Personality changes

Excessive drooling

Paralysis

Dragging of limbs

For further information, contact the Lenoir County Health Department or Animal Control at (252) 526-4200, ext. 0, or a local veterinarian.

Information can also be found online at the state health department's Epidemiology in North Carolina Web page: www.epi.state.nc.us.

Number of confirmed rabies cases in Lenoir County:

2008: 1

2007: 0

2006: 4

2005: 4

2004: 6