HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Last week, the Florida Department of Health issued a rabies alert in Hillsborough County after a confirmed rabies case in a stray cat.
It was found in the Town ’n’ Country area off of Twelve Oaks Boulevard, and officials said the cat bit 4 people before it was killed.
Sunshine Animal Hospital is near the rabies alert area.
WATCH Officials warn of rabies alert in Hillsborough County
“It’s a very deadly virus. That if animals or humans are contracted, once they start showing symptoms, it is actually very deadly,” said Dr. Allison Bodnar, a veterinarian at Sunshine Animal Hospital.
DOH-Hillsborough is now monitoring rabies among wild animals in the area, near Linebaugh Avenue, Waters Avenue, Anderson Road, and Wilsky Boulevard.
“Although this alert is specifically for this area, we want to make sure everybody takes precaution,” said Claire Maher, public information officer for the Florida Department of Health Hillsborough.
Raccoons and bats are the most common rabies carriers in wild animals and stray cats are the biggest carriers in domesticated animals.
“Unfortunately, one of the biggest ways you can come into contact is by feeding the stray animals, whether it’s in your neighborhood or just on the street. So that is something we want to remind everybody, to avoid contact with all wild and stray animals and do not feed any wild or stray animals,” said Maher.
Officials want everyone to know that rabies is currently present in the wild animal population and want you to take some precautions like keeping your pets on a leash when walking them, supervising them outside, and feeding your pets indoors to not attract other animals.
Officials also want you to be aware of the warning signs a stray animal in your neighborhood could be rabid.
This includes: if they’re acting aggressive, attacking people for no reason, excessively drooling, and if the animal is staggering or starts to become paralyzed.
If you encounter an animal exhibiting these signs, contact animal control.
“If you do get bitten by an animal, the first thing we want you to do is to make sure you scrub the wound or the scratch for 5-10 minutes with running water and soap. Immediately after that, we want you to call your medical provider or to go that emergency department so they might potentially start treatment if it’s needed,” said Maher.
If your pet gets bitten, go to your vet right away.
Since the rabies alert, Sunshine Animal Hospital has seen an increase in people coming in to ensure their pets are up to date on vaccines.
“We’ve had a lot of owners calling us who take care of feral cat populations or who have outdoor cats because those cats are going to be the ones most at risk, who have been calling to get those cats up to date because they’re at risk,” said Bodnar.
“We do have a lot of people calling and checking the status of their dogs, you know, making sure they’re up to date,” she added.
That’s what officials are encouraging people to do: ensure pets are vaccinated against rabies because the virus is preventable, but not curable.
“It is something that, if caught early, if a human is bit, and you seek treatment right away, is preventable. But once they start showing symptoms it is unfortunately very deadly,” said Bodnar.
It’s not just rabies, though. Bodnar said vaccines are important for various preventable diseases in pets.
“There’s a reason we vaccinate. These are preventable diseases. There’s a way to prevent the disease from happening, to prevent it from spreading, to prevent the death from occurring. Not only rabies, leptospirosis, bordetella, flu, distemper and parvo too.
The rabies alert is in effect for 60 days.
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