Pinellas Raccoon Tests Positive for Rabies

Pinellas County Animal Services received results on Oct. 3 of a rabid raccoon that fought with two dogs in Tarpon Springs. The dogs, who encountered the raccoon on Old East Lake Road on Sept. 29, already had been previously vaccinated for rabies. They received a booster shot and are being observed by the owners for a 180-day period. The raccoon did not survive the fight.
Under normal circumstances, this case would have been the first report this year because Animal Services routinely tests raccoons for rabies after a human or pet has been bitten or scratched. This year is different because of random testing that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is doing in the county. As a result of the testing, two other raccoons tested positive this year. The first was in Clearwater and the second in Dunedin. A raccoon caught in Pinellas Park initially tested positive, but a follow-up by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a negative result. After each case, Animal Services has distributed additional oral rabies vaccine baits throughout the area.
County officials follow an aggressive program of dropping oral rabies vaccines every year throughout the county. The raccoons eat the bait, with the vaccine inside of it. This helps limit the spread of rabies cases by creating a protected population - but it does not eradicate the disease.
“It is extremely important that pet owners remember that rabies exists in the wildlife,” said Dr. Welch Agnew, director of Animal Services. “It is up to us to create a buffer by vaccinating our pets, limiting our pets’ interaction with wildlife, and refraining from leaving food outdoors, which attracts wildlife.”
Citizens who have nuisance raccoons can request a trap from Animal Services. It is recommended that field officers be called when a raccoon is trapped to decrease the chance of injuries. Relocating a raccoon is illegal and leads to fighting among raccoons and the spread of disease.
Animal Services is located at 12450 Ulmerton Road, Largo. The rabies line is (727) 582-2608. For information about pet licenses and vaccinations, call Pinellas County Animal Services at (727) 582-2600.