BATH, Maine — A third case of rabies in Bath this year has been confirmed after a rabid raccoon bit a yellow Labrador retriever Monday in the city’s north end.
The raccoon was locked in a garage by the homeowner after the dog was bitten and subsequently captured by Bath Animal Control Officer Ann Harford, according to a press release.
The raccoon was taken to the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Lab where it tested positive for rabies. The dog’s rabies vaccination was current and it will receive a rabies booster and be kept under observation for 45 days.
This marks Bath’s third confirmed rabies case of 2012. In April, a resident on the north end of High Street reported that his dog had killed a rabid woodchuck. In July, a man was bitten by a rabid fox while working on his barn on Whiskeag Road.
The Bath Police Department urges residents to vaccinate their pets against rabies and to always use caution when handling a pet that fought with or received wounds from a wild animal. Pet owners should wear waterproof gloves for protection when washing or treating their animal after an incident. And Bath police reiterated a common refrain in rabies cases: Never approach a wild animal that appears to be sick or acting strangely.
