Dog owners in the Orange Park area are being urged to keep their pets leashed and away from wildlife after a raccoon tested positive for rabies, prompting a 60-day alert from the Florida Department of Health in Clay County.
Health officials confirmed that a racoon killed Sept. 29 in the Orange Park area off Kingsley Road tested positive for rabies.
Dog owners are urged to make sure their pets rabies vaccinations are up to date and prevent their pets from coming into contact with wildlife.Under Florida law, dogs 4 months and older must be vaccinated against rabies. They need a second shot one year after the first, and any later boosters depend on the type of vaccine used.
Rabies can spread from dogs to other domestic animals through contact with an infected animal, most commonly through a bite. Raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes can post a rabies risk in Northeast Florida.
The Clay County case follows a rabies alert in neighboring St. Johns County, where a raccoon killed Aug. 29 in the St. Augustine South area tested positive. In Volusia County, an unvaccinated cat captured near A1A and Hartford Avenue in Daytona Beach tested positive in late June, prompting health officials to issue a 60-day rabies alert in July.
DOH-Clay is urging residents to keep pets on a leash and to prevent them from coming into contact with wild or stray animals. Health officials also recommend not feeding wildlife or leaving out garbage, and keeping bats and other wildlife out of homes.
If an animal bites a pet or livestock, owners should seek veterinary care immediately and contact Town of Orange Park Animal Control at 904-269-6342, option 3.
Anyone bitten or scratched by a wild or domestic animal should seek medical attention and report the injury to DOH-Clay at 904-529-2924.
