The best way to prevent rabies is to make sure your pet gets vaccinated against rabies!! Other ways to prevent rabies in your pets:

1. Walk your dog on a leash.
2. Never let your dog or cat roam freely where wildlife may be present.
3. Consider keeping your pets indoors.
4. Be aware of wild animals that are acting sick or injured on your property. You may call to have the animal removed only if it is sick or injured.
5. If an animal bites your pet, handle your pet carefully so you do not get bitten.
6. Contact the health department and your veterinarian for advice on rabies boosters. Even if they have had the rabies vaccination, a booster shot may help them fight off the disease better.
7. Get your pets spayed or neutered. Pets that are fixed are less likely to leave home, become strays, and make more stray animals.
8. Make sure your pet gets and wears their rabies vaccination tags. They should also wear a tag with their name and your address and phone number. Keep them in a fenced yard or on a leash.

Rabies prevention for you and your family.

Never touch unfamiliar or wild animals. Enjoy wild animals from afar. Avoid direct contact with stray animals. Stray cats and dogs may not have been vaccinated against rabies. Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home. Do not try to nurse sick animals to health. It is common to want to rescue and nurse a hurt wild animal, but that animal may have rabies. Call animal control or animal rescue group if you find a sick animal. Make sure that your trash cans and pet foods are secured so that they do not attract wild animals.

What do I do if an animal bites me?

If an animal bites you, report the bite 385-4444. Wash the wound well with soap and water for at least five minutes. You should then see a doctor as soon as possible for additional evaluation of the wound. If the animal that bit you is a pet (dog, cat, or ferret), the animal may be watched for signs of rabies for 10 days. If it is a wild animal it should be located and reported to animal control. Bites from bats are the main source of rabies in humans in the United States today. It is possible, but rare, that the bat might bite someone and not know it. If you discover a bat in the house, especially in the room of a sleeping person or child, treat this situation as though an actual bite has occurred. This is especially true if the bat is acting strangely (unusually tame). Contact your local or state health department for more information.