Officials Confirm Rabid Raccoon

Two Woodstock residents were exposed to rabid animals in separate incidents where one raccoon tested positive for rabies last week.

In the first incident, a person was feeding geese in at approximately 3 p.m. Oct. 30 when two stray dogs approached and started fighting over the bread, said Glen Gordy, speciaist for Cherokee County Environmental Health.

“The person tried to stop the fight and was bitten on the hand,” Gordy said. “The dogs then ran off and have not been seen since.”

North Georgia Health District spokeswoman Jennifer King said the second incident occurred at a residence on Plantation Trace at approximately 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1. While a dog sitter was tending to a Chihuahua, a raccoon attacked the dog, and the sitter beat the raccoon to death with a shoe. The sitter was bitten during the attack, but wasn’t sure as to which animal inflicted the wound.

King said the raccoon was tested positive for rabies Nov. 3 at the state lab.

“Since the residents were possibly exposed to rabies in these incidents, both began post exposure treatment, which consists of one shot of rabies immune globulin and four shots of rabies vaccine over a two-week period,” King said.

The Chihuahua was on its rabies vaccination and only required a rabies booster shot and a 45-day quarantine.

Other cases includes: