ROCKINGHAM — Rockingham Health Officer Ellen Howard reminds residents to make sure their pets' rabies vaccines are up to date.
Howard said that while no animal has tested positive for rabies in Rockingham in 2013, there is concern, as the Rockingham Highway Department has recently dealt with four instances of very ill, disoriented animals.
Two incidents involved raccoons on Pleasant Valley Road, one of which was near the Saxtons River Recreation Center. Another ailing raccoon was located at the east end of Main Street in Saxtons River. The fourth animal was a fox on Bramley Way in Bellows Falls.
No one can tell if an animal has rabies by sight alone. Rabid animals may appear normal, lethargic, or aggressive. Usually there is a change in normal behavior. People are advised to avoid any animal that exhibits strange behavior.
Howard advises residents to use care in approaching animals, especially domestic animals not known to them, or wild animals.
Howard also advises:
• Pets should be vaccinated against rabies.
• Yards should not be made inviting to wild animals, particularly leaving pet food dishes outside.
• Pets should be fed inside and be kept in at night to avoid mixing with possible rabid animals.
• Trash can lids need to be tightly closed; trash left for curb-side pickup should be stored in animal-proof containers.
• To reach the Vermont Rabies Hotline, call 1-800-4-Rabies (800-472-2437).