Especially if it’s a raccoon or a skunk.
Sam Mills, a wildlife biologist with USDA APHIS in Elkins, spends much of his time finding and testing dead animals, mostly to see if they have rabies.
“What we do most of the year and our biggest focus is enhanced rabies surveillance,” Mills said. “We try to get our hands on any sick, strange-acting animal that hasn’t been involved in an exposure with a person or a domestic animal.”
Roadkill animals are a great source, not only because they are already dead, but also, the thinking is, because sick animals would be more likely to stagger into the middle of the road and get hit by a car.
“Anytime we can get our hands on a sample, anywhere we find rabies, we like to know about it.”
This information is obviously of great interest in Monongalia County because we had two recent cases of rabid raccoons getting into tussles with pet dogs, one in early February and one in early March. After both instances, the dogs had to be re-vaccinated for rabies and observed for a period of time. Their owners, who had interacted with their pets, received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis treatment.
And that was just during the dead of winter. Now with the arrival of spring, Monongalia County has had its third case of a rabid raccoon that also had an encounter with a pet dog. Plus, the USDA has found an additional five rabid raccoons in Monongalia County this year as part of its enhanced rabies surveillance efforts.
That’s why MCHD Environmental Health officials are adamant about educating people on how to protect themselves and their family members. The first rule is to have all pets that are mammals—dogs, cats, ferrets, etc.—vaccinated for rabies. Not only is this the law, but it can make the difference between a pet only needing re-vaccination and observation if they interact with a strange-acting animal or being put down.
Pets cannot be vaccinated for rabies until the age of 4 months, and then by law, must be vaccinated no later than at 6 months. An animal receives a rabies vaccine and then a booster a year later. After that, they need a rabies vaccine every three years.
Homeowners are also encouraged to make their homes less enticing to raccoons and other wildlife by taking such precautions as tightening lids on outdoor garbage cans and making sure structures do not have holes in them that would allow wildlife to get in.
MCHD officials also want to continue to be proactive as we participate in the fight against this preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite or scratch of a rabid wild animal. Preventing rabies is vital, because once a pet begins to show symptoms of rabies, it is too late for the animal to be saved.
If you have a dog, cat or ferret that hasn’t been vaccinated for rabies, or that isn’t up-to-date on the inoculation, MCHD also will be holding a rabies vaccination clinic. For $10 (cash please), you can bring your pets to the health department from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 4. The licensed veterinarian and a vet tech will come to your car and administer the shot. You will receive a rabies tag and certificate to provide proof of the vaccine.
We also recently invited Mills and two of his USDA APHIS colleagues, rabies technician Chelsea Hartley and wildlife technician Travis Mininger, to the health department to present an overview of the situation as well as answer some questions.
In addition to year-round enhanced surveillance of wildlife to detect rabies, the USDA also operates the Oral Rabies Vaccination program.
The program entails dropping edible oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits from airplanes, helicopters and vehicles into targeted zones. The vaccine is safe for animals to eat and will not hurt pets that might happen upon it. About 1.5 million packets are dropped annually in the West Virginia portion of the zone, Mills said. The idea is to inoculate common carriers, such as raccoons, skunks and foxes.
Based on live-trapping and testing raccoons before and after the bait drop and testing blood samples to evaluate vaccination rates, the USDA knows that the program works.
Right now, only the very western tip of Monongalia County receives the oral rabies vaccine bait. Dropping the ORV bait in all of Monongalia County seems like a no-brainer, but it’s more complicated than that.
“That’s the goal, to maintain the zone,” Mills said. “We still have some rabies cases that show up in the zone. That’s not totally uncommon. But we don’t want anything west of the zone.”
Dropping baits east of the current zone might make a short-term difference, but in the long run, rabies will just return from neighboring areas, so it’s not a cost-effective practice for the USDA.
Mills has discussed adding Monongalia County back into the vaccine drop with the program director. “It doesn’t seem likely this year.”
That’s why it’s important to make sure your pets are vaccinated, that pets that spend time outdoors are supervised and children know to stay away from wild animals. If you see a sick or strange-acting wild animals that have not encountered a person or a pet, you can call the USDA during business hours at 304-636-1785 866-487-3297 to collect it. If you can, without endangering yourself or anyone else, try to keep the animal from getting away, maybe by putting a large garbage can over it.
More information on what to do if you or a pet has an incident, depending on the situation, can be found on our website.
And if you have an unvaccinated pet or one that is not up to date on the shot, please consider bringing it to the rabies vaccination clinic at MCHD.