COOPERSTOWN -- A dog in the town of Milford had to be euthanized after being bitten by a raccoon that has tested positive for rabies, the Otsego County Department of Health said Friday.
Two people who had possible contact with the raccoon's saliva have been started on rabies post-exposure treatment, the agency said. Testing on the raccoon was completed Thursday.
The health department said any fur-bearing mammal can be infected with rabies -- a fatal viral illness that can be transmitted to people or pets when they are bitten by an infected animal.
The Milford dog had not been vaccinated for rabies. Health officials said that when a vaccinated pet comes into contact with an animal suspected of being rabid, the pet should have a rabies booster vaccination within five days.
State law requires that any pet that has been bitten by a rabid animal and had not been vaccinated to be euthanized at the owner's expense.
According to the state Health Department, Otsego County had two confirmed rabies test positives in 2011, one from a skunk, the other from a raccoon.
Statewide, there were 370 animals that tested positive for rabies last year. Of the various categories of wild and domestic animals, raccoons had the highest total of rabies positives, with 162. Thirty-eight cats were found to be positive for rabies, while only one dog was infected.
County officials warned residents not to approach unknown animals and to teach children not to approach animals that are not their own.
They also recommended that pets be vaccinated and owners wear gloves when handling a pet that has had contact with wildlife.
Rabies can be transmitted by saliva or central nervous tissue to an open wound or mucus membrane.
Local News
Milford dog euthanized after contact with rabid raccoon
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