Kerr County Confirms First Rabies Case of 2023

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Skunk
Any mammal can get rabies, but the first confirmed positive case in Kerr County, Texas, for this year was in a skunk. Other frequent carriers of the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control, are raccoons, bats and foxes, while the most common domesticated animals to get rabies are cats, cattle and dogs.
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The first positive case of rabies in 2023 for Kerr County has been confirmed today, April 13, in a skunk.

Kerr County Animal Services received a report on Friday, April 7, that a skunk had come into contact with a property owner’s dogs off Seabee Highway North, located east of Spur 100 and the Kerrville VA Medical Center in Kerrville.

“Our animal control officer immediately picked up the specimen, it was preserved to maintain integrity of the sample and it was sent to the zoological lab for testing on Monday, April 10,” said KCAS Director Reagan Givens. “We were notified this morning (April 13) that the results were positive for rabies.”

Since the property owner’s dogs were exposed, they were notified of the proper steps to take, Givens said.

“According to Texas law, if a cat or dog is bitten or has made contact with an animal known to carry rabies, then that pet should be humanely euthanized,” Givens explained. “Pet owners unwilling to do that must then follow a protocol that depends on if the pet’s rabies vaccinations are current.”

If the exposed family pet has been previously vaccinated against rabies, then they should be revaccinated immediately and restrained or confined for a period of 45 days.

If the exposed family pet has not been previously vaccinated against rabies, then they should get vaccinated immediately and be placed in strict isolation for 90 days, with booster shots given in the third and eighth weeks of isolation.

“These measures may seem drastic, but rabies is a horrible, deadly, viral disease,” Givens said. “This very case is a great reminder to all of us that we should protect our family pets by making sure their rabies vaccinations are up to date. After all, we never know when wild animals (such as skunks, fox, bats and other potential carriers of the disease) may visit our homes, yards or surrounding areas.”

Pet owners have a responsibility to have their pets vaccinated. In Kerr County, specifically, there is a court order on rabies and animal control that states pet owners must have a dog or cat vaccinated against the disease by the time the pet reaches 4 months of age. The vaccines then must be given at least once every three years.

Proof of those vaccinations must be kept in the official certificate furnished by the veterinarian. The certificate must bear the pet owner’s name, address and telephone number, as well as identifying information about the animal, including species, sex, age, weight, breed and color. Information about the type of vaccine used, as well as the veterinarian’s signature and license number, should also be included.

Anyone who sees a wild animal or even stray dogs or cats is asked to refrain from feeding or making close contact with them. “Instead, we ask that you make note of the area they are, which direction they might be heading and then contact Kerr County Animal Services, the local rabies authority, with that information by calling 830-257-3100,” Givens added.

Suspected cases of rabies may also be reported to the Zoonosis Control office in San Antonio at 210-949-2048.