Attention Clients and Neighbors –

Princeton Animal Hospital has received notice that another feline in the area has tested positive for the Rabies virus. This is the second feline rabies case submitted by Princeton Animal hospital in the last 6 months and we felt an urgency to alert the public to the findings immediately.

Rabies is a virus affecting mammalians and is one of a few known, 100% fatal diseases. The most common causes of infection are from bite wounds from an infected animal. Bats, raccoons, and possums, groundhogs, and fox are the most common carriers, although domesticated animals have been known to do the same. 

Typically, an animal with an active infection will begin to experience neurologic symptoms including but not limited to, wobbly stance or movement, circling, being active outside of the normal known activity times (raccoons out during the day), extreme friendliness or aggression, foaming at the mouth, extremely vocal, loss of fear to people or industry, to name a few. If you suspect that you may see an animal with possible rabies symptoms, call your local animal control office immediately. (Usually can call the police non-emergency line) The most dangerous aspect of this disease is the zoonotic transfer, which means it can pass from species to species without restriction. (Raccoon to human, dog, cat, etc…) 

The best way to practices to protect your pet and family are to do the following. First are foremost, have all pets in your family vaccinated or be up to date on the rabies vaccine. This vaccine is 99.999% effective and significantly reduces the chance of a pet becoming infected. The second major step is to monitor your pet’s outdoor activity. Pets most often interact with other wildlife when they are unsupervised. The combination of vaccination and diligent supervision of your pet should ensure that your pet’s exposure potential is minimal. The third is to report any concerning animals to the local authorities. 

This case came from the East Windsor area and the township has added an alert to their website and bulletin email. 

If your pet is past due for his/her rabies vaccine, please update your pets vaccination protection ASAP. Prevention is the best protection.