According to the county, the new incident occurred Thursday, February 27, when a Chapel Hill resident spotted his dog near a raccoon that appeared to be almost dead.  The resident removed his dog from the area and called Animal Control to remove the raccoon for testing.  The dog was not observed having direct contact with the raccoon, but the possibility of exposure before the owner’s arrival cannot be ruled out. 

 

As the dog involved in this case was not currently vaccinated against rabies, North Carolina law requires that it must be either destroyed or quarantined for a period of six (6) months.  Under this same law, by contrast, a dog or cat that does have a current rabies vaccination must only receive a booster shot within 120 hours (5 days) of any suspected rabies exposure.  

 

The dog’s owners have yet to make a decision regarding the dog involved in this case.

 

Raccoons are a host (or reservoir) species to rabies in our area and the region.  Any other animal that becomes rabid in this area is likely the victim of the “spillover effect.”  When an animal other than the dominant reservoir species, which is the raccoon in North Carolina, contracts the virus, it is called “spillover.” The other species that are most susceptible to getting rabies from raccoons are dogs and cats, groundhogs, skunks, and foxes.