Lee County resident bit by dog, infected with rabies

ALABAMA -- Lee County Rabies officer Dr Buddy Bruce says more cases of rabies have been popping up in Lee County, the most recent infection being a Lee County resident.

Two raccoons tested positive in Auburn on Thursday and a Chihuahua tested positive Friday.

The chihuahua was a household pet that went outside to play but came back inside with rabies. Not long after, the dog bit it's owner sending them to the hospital.

"It was acting very strangely and came in the house and the owner noticed it was acting strangely and it did bite the owner. They took it to the veterinarian who recognized the symptoms consistent with rabies," Bruce said."We recommended the human go to the hospital, East Alabama Medical Center, for post-exposure prophylactic treatment for rabies."

Bruce says the whole situation could have been avoided if the pet's owner had followed state law and vaccinated the chihuahua.

"This chihuahua apparently was not up-to-date or never had received a vaccination from the records I've seen and therefore it went out and contracted rabies, from where we don't know, and then came back and exposed the human in the house," said Bruce.

Besides vaccination, knowing the common carriers and symptoms of a rabies infection to look out for can help protect you and your pets.

"Animals out in the daytime acting strangely. Wild animals, racoons, nocturnal animals that are out in the day; that's not typical," Bruce said."If you go outside and you've got a stray animal in the yard, a wild animal, wildlife that will not leave, they're not scared of you? Typically, there's something wrong."

It's also important during the summer months, with kids home from school and being outside more, to make sure if they do leave the house that they keep away from stray animals.

"Before you let your children in the yard to play, make sure an adult goes out and looks around.  Make sure there's not a wild animal in the vicinity, in the yard, on the edge of the woods. We've actually had a few cases in Lee County recently where raccoons were found and possums found in the yard," Bruce said.

So far this year, more than 30 cases of rabies have been discovered around the state of Alabama.
Bruce encourages anyone who sees an animal showing signs of a rabies infection to call animal control.

(WFSA - M 24, 2015)