|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
NEW BEDFORD — City officials are urging residents to protect themselves and their pets from rabies, after a raccoon in the Buttonwood Park area tested positive for the deadly viral disease.
New Bedford public health and animal control leaders are encouraging all residents to make sure their pets’ rabies vaccinations are up to date. All dogs, cats and ferrets must be vaccinated for rabies under Massachusetts law, city officials said.
If community members encounter an animal that may be infected with rabies, they should keep a safe distance, and call New Bedford Animal Control.
Rabies is a potentially fatal disease. Infected wild animals generally spread the rabies virus to humans and pets through bites and scratches. Several different kinds of animals that live in New Bedford — like raccoons, skunks, and coyotes — can carry rabies.
Signs of rabies in animals include aggressive behavior, weakness, seizures, and excessive drooling.
If residents are attacked by a rabid animal, they should clean their wounds, seek medical attention immediately, and contact the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
To protect pets from rabies, residents should spay and neuter their animals, bring outdoor food and water bowls inside, and watch their pets when they are outdoors — keeping them away from wildlife.
New Bedford community members can also get their cats, dogs, and ferrets vaccinated for rabies at New Bedford Animal Control’s annual rabies clinic at Brooklawn Park on Nov. 2. Vaccinations will cost $15 per animal.
Email Adam Goldstein at agoldstein@newbedfordlight.org.
