City of Paris issues rabies infection warning for NE Paris

On Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, at 3:42 pm, Paris Animal Control Officer(s) responded to the area of 1100 block of Cope and 4400 block of Pine Mill in Northeast Paris, for a “skunk acting strangely and/or sick”. The skunk was captured and subsequently tested revealing that it was infected with Rabies.

The Police Department is asking that the residents in this area be vigilant and report stray dogs, cats and wild animals behaving strangely in this area. In addition, pet owners in this area should ensure that their pets stay away from wild animals such as raccoons and skunks. In the event that you have reason to believe that your pet has been exposed to a wild animal, you should contact your veterinarian without delay.

Bites from infected dogs are responsible for 99% of human rabies deaths, many of which are pets that were infected by a wild animal. Common signs of Rabies Infection in Cats and Dogs can be accessed at; https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/symptoms/index.html

Rabies is a Preventable Disease

Vaccinating your pet against rabies remains the best way to protect your pets and human family members from the disease.

There is no treatment for rabies once an animal is showing clinical signs, so it’s important to keep vaccinations up to date. Treatment of dogs and cats exposed to a potentially rabid animal often is difficult. Sometimes the biting animal is available for rabies testing, which is helpful in determining whether a pet was actually exposed or not. However, in many cases, the biting animal is not known.