MANALAPAN – Two dogs from Manalapan have been placed in a 45-day quarantine following their exposure to a rabid raccoon.
According to a June 16 press release from the Manalapan Health Department, the dogs had an altercation with a raccoon in a residential backyard on June 13. The dogs killed the raccoon and the animal was submitted for testing and was found to be positive for rabies.
The dogs were given rabies booster vaccinations and have been placed in a 45-day quarantine on the owners’ property. The dogs’ owners are being evaluated for possible exposure to the rabies virus after they handed their dogs in the aftermath of the raccoon’s death, according to the press release.
Authorities said it appeared the raccoon may have been nesting below a shed on the property. The property is bordered by a wooded parcel with a stream nearby.
Rabies is a deadly virus that attacks the nervous system, according to the press release. It is most often seen in wildlife such as raccoons, bats, skunks, groundhogs and foxes.
Domestic cats, dogs and ferrets can get rabies if they are not vaccinated. If a rabid animal bites someone, or if its saliva or tissue gets into an individual’s eyes, nose, mouth or any open wound, the individual can get rabies. Rabies is fatal once symptoms begin, according to the press release.
A person who observes any animal – wild or domestic – not behaving properly is asked to contact the Manalapan Health Department/Western Monmouth Animal Control at 732-446-8345 or the Manalapan Police Department at 732-446-4300 if after normal working hours.
