WALDOBORO, Maine — Lincoln County residents were advised Tuesday to avoid contact with wild animals and make sure their pets are vaccinated after a skunk killed by a dog at a Rocky Ridge residence tested positive for rabies.
The incident occurred on Friday, Lt. Michael Murphy of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday in a news release.
Lincoln County Animal Control Officer Will Snowman was called to the residence to look into a report that a possibly rabid skunk had attacked the homeowners’ Rottweiler while the dog was inside of its enclosure, Murphy said.
The Rottweiler had apparently killed the skunk without being bitten. Snowman bagged the skunk and contacted the Maine Warden Service, Murphy said.
The dead skunk later was picked up by a game warden and taken to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Augusta for testing. Meanwhile, the dog was placed into quarantine at the family’s home.
On Monday, Maine CDC contacted Snowman and advised him that the skunk tested positive for rabies, Murphy said. He said that the family’s veterinarian will have to determine the fate of the dog as it was not vaccinated.
For more information about rabies, visit Maine CDC’s Web page about rabies.