Rabies Virus an Emerging Threat in Boulder County

Boulder Vet has seen a recent increase of wildlife encounters with aggressive coyotes recently.  These dog-wildlife encounters have been occurring with increasing frequency over the last several weeks.  In particular, our veterinarians have seen several wounds occur while our clients have been hiking on the Mt. Sanitas trail in Boulder.

So far, no terrestrial mammals like skunks, raccoon,  coyotes, or foxes have tested positive for Rabies virus in Boulder County.  There is a persistent population of bats in Boulder County that are infected with Rabies Virus, but these have been present for many years.  Surrounding counties around Boulder including Larimer and Adams county HAVE had positive Rabies tests in skunks and coyotes.  recently there was a rabid fox who attacked a dog in Larimer County.  Boulder County Health Department is vigilantly monitoring for any cases of Rabies in the Boulder area.  Unfortunately many veterinary epidemiologists suspect it is only a matter of time until Boulder is also a Rabies positive county.

Rabies virus is a public health risk.  People exposed to blood or saliva typically from a bite wound of an infected animal can become infected by Rabies virus.  Rabies virus untreated is typically 100% fatal in both animals and people.  People who are exposed to a potentially rabid animal need to seek medical attention immediately and will likely need a series of post exposure injections to try and prevent infection with the virus.  Vets and Boulder County Public Health officials are very strongly urging residents of Boulder County to maintain current vaccination status on all their pets in accordance with state law.  Even strictly indoor cats should be vaccinated against Rabies virus as they can be exposed by a bat in a home.

If your pet has a wildlife encounter and sustains any injuries even minor scrapes, they should immediately have their Rabies vaccine booster shot.  It is also very important to not let your current vaccine status expire.   If your pet is exposed to wildlife such as a coyote, you should report the incident to the Boulder County Animal Control/Boulder County Health Department.  They are vigilantly monitoring these incidences and need to know if there is an aggressive animal lurking in areas that are heavily used such as the Mt. Sanitas trail.  Please be prepared to have your pet placed on a 45 day quarantine after such an incident.  Fortunately, during this quarantine your dog will be allowed to leave your home but will be required to be under their caretakers direct control via a hand held leash.  This is an unfortunate situation but with such a severe disease it's imperative to take adequate precautionary measures since a public health outbreak of Rabies virus would be terrifying.

If you would like more information on Rabies virus, please visit www.bouldervet.com and type Rabies into the comprehensive Pet Library search field.  Pleas feel free to call our vets at (303) 442-6262 and we would be happy to talk to you about your specific situation.