AUSTIN, Texas — Officials are urging people to get their pets vaccinated after a positive case of rabies was discovered in Central Texas.
According to Marble Falls Animal Control, the fox was discovered earlier this week in a neighborhood near Mormon Mill.
While residents may be tempted to set live traps to capture wild animals, animal control officials say to call police instead and make sure your pets' vaccinations are up to date.
What animals get rabies?
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, all warm-blooded animals are susceptible to rabies. In Texas, skunks, bats, coyotes and foxes are the most commonly infected animals.
Domestic dogs, cats and livestock usually get rabies infections from wild animals. DSHS says rabies in foxes can be "20 times as serious" as a distributing agent as a skunk since foxes travel faster and farther. However, skunks tend to have more of the rabies virus in their saliva.
What happens if a known rabid animal bites a pet
Unvaccinated dogs and cats bitten by a known rabid animal should be put down immediately, according to DSHS.
If the owner is unwilling to have that done, the animal should be vaccinated and placed in strict isolation for 90 days. During the third and eighth weeks of isolation, the pet should also be given booster vaccinations.
However, vaccinated pets should be revaccinated immediately and restrained for 45 days.
When animals bite a person
DSHS says wild animals that attack humans should be euthanized immediately and have their brains examined for evidence of rabies. Meanwhile, domestic animals should be confined and observed, or submitted to a lab for head examination.
Immediately wash the wound with soap and hot water, then consult a physician about anti-rabies treatment.
The pet dog or cat does not need to be euthanized until the first clinical signs of rabies appear. If the dog or cat was infected at the time of the bite, symptoms can show within 10 days. Rabid dogs and cats will show behavioral changes before death.
