Rabies
What is rabies?
Rabies is a zoonotic disease that is typically found in skunks, raccoons, bats, coyotes and foxes but other animals and humans can become infected if they are bitten by an infected animal. If someone encounters any of the “high-risk” animals exhibiting strange behavior such as: aggressiveness, restlessness, motor skill impairment or anything else unusual, stay away and report the animal to Joshua Animal Control at 817-774-9450.
Preventing Exposure
You can prevent exposing your pets to the rabies virus. The most important thing that people can do is to have their animals vaccinated against rabies and keep those vaccinations up to date. State law requires that you have your dogs and cats vaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian at 4 months of age. Most veterinarians are now giving 3-year rabies vaccinations. Be sure to keep your pet's rabies certificate as proof that your pet has been vaccinated.
High Risk Animals
High-risk animals for rabies in Texas are skunks, bats, raccoons, foxes and coyotes. Rabbits, hares and small rodents such as squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils and chipmunks are rarely found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies in humans in the United States. Dogs, cats, horses and cattle are the most frequently reported rabid domestic animals in Texas.
Advice
The Department of State Health Services also offers this advice:
Keep cats and ferrets indoors and keep dogs indoors or in a fenced yard.
- Spay or neuter pets to prevent unwanted animals that may not receive proper care from visiting your animals.
- Teach children not to play with any animal that they do not know, even if the animal seems friendly.
- Avoid animals, both domestic and wild, that appear disoriented, fearless or aggressive. Nighttime animals such as bats, raccoons and skunks that are active in the daytime may be sick.
- Do not touch any wild animal that appears ill or dead. If you live inside the city limits of Joshua, call Joshua Animal Services at 817-774-9450.
- Don’t attract wild animals to your yard. Avoid leaving pet food outdoors and keep garbage in closed containers.
Stay away from wild animals, and never keep a wild animal as a pet.
Have domestic ferrets, wolf-dog hybrids and livestock, especially those that are in frequent contact with humans, vaccinated against rabies.
What To Do If You Are Bitten
- Notify Joshua Animal Services at 817-774-9450 immediately or as soon as possible. On the weekend or after business hours, call Johnson County Non-Emergency 817-556-6060.
- Wash the wound with lots of soap and running water.
- Go to a physician or emergency room immediately if the bite is severe or bleeding.
- In any case, notify your physician that an animal bit you.
- Make sure that you are up to date on your tetanus vaccination.
- Take antibiotics if your physician prescribes them.
- If possible and without causing further injury, try to identify or capture the biting animal.
Additional Resources & Links
Informative websites on rabies: