Rabies Remains
A Serious Threat Here, Animal Supervisor Warns
BY LYNN CARLSON
If you think the threat of rabies
has diminished because you haven't
heard much about it lately, think
again says the county's new animal
control supervisor.
It S hunting season, a time when
dogs will he scouring the woods and
running the daylights out of rac
coons. the animals most likely to
carry the rapidly spreading, almost
certainly -fatal disease.
And cats who are allowed to roam
are always at high risk for the dis
ease. because they are naturally
more efficient hunters than other do
mestic animals.
Rabies is not seasonal," warns
Greg ^ Thompson. Brunswick
County's new animal control super
visor. "There have been 103 cases
discovered in North Carolina this
year, throughout the year. Most were
in raccoons, but ten were in domes
tic animals ? eight dogs and two
cats. None of the ten had had a legal
rabies vaccination."
Thompson hadn t come to Bruns
wick yet when two rabid raccoons
were discovered in the Ash area
back in September. But he's heard
about how every veterinarian in the
county vaccinated hundreds of dogs
and cats that month as worried pet
owners flocked to a county-spon
sored clinic.
The veterinarians probably would
prefer numbers a little more man
ageable this Saturday as they con
duct the fifth and final rabies clinic
of 1993. But they, along with
Thompson, hope for another strong
response to the offer of a year's
worth of protection against rabies
for $5 per animal.
"Several thousand animals got
vaccinated this year, but there are
still thousands who've never been
vaccinated or whose vaccinations
aren't current," said Thompson. "It's
simply the best protection you can
give your pet and your family."
Brunswick County's rabies con
trol program is "excellent," said
Thompson, who joins the depart
ment after four years in animal con
trol in his hometown of Wilson. The
more cooperation the public pro
vides, the more effective his depart
ment can be in its goal to protect
people and their pets, he adds.
Thompson is impressed that the
Brunswick County health depart
ment and local veterinarians spon
sored five clinics in 1993, though
state law requires only one a year.
Animal control officers also im
pounded 5,300 strays and unwanted
animals, most of the time keeping its
24 dog kennels and 27 cat cages full
much of the time. Sadly, says
Thompson, most of them were put
to death because they were never
claimed or adopted.
As the third facet of rabies con
trol, officers have responded to nu
merous calls about people being bit
ten by animals. Every such call re
quires that the biting animal be con
fined and observed for 10 days, even
if it has a current rabies vaccination.
One of Thompson's goals in his
new job is to start a public education
program about the importance of an
imal control, rabies control and re
??
STAFF PHOTO BY LYNN CARLSON
ANIMAL CONTROL SUPERVISOR Greg Thompson takes time
out to greet a " client , " a friendly pooch who 's been vaccinated and
neutered and is ready to be adopted by a loving family.
Where To Go For Vaccination
Four rabies clinics will be offered this Saturday, Dec. 11, by local vet
erinarians and the Brunswick County Health Department.
Vaccinations will cost $5 each and are effective for one year.
Clinic sites and hours are:
? Companion Animal Hospital, East Gate Square, Shallotte, 9 a.m. un
til 1 p.m.
? Brunswick Animal Hospital, U.S. 17, Supply, 9 a.m. until noon
? Seaside Animal Care, Carter D.ive, Calabash, 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.
? Leland Veterinary Hospital, Clairmont Plaza, Leland, 8 a.m. until
noon.
sponsible pet ownership. He says
he's a pet lover, not just a pet police
man, and likes to see dogs and cats
beco e a part of loving, responsible
fami.ies rather than being eutha
nized.
A Problem On the Rise
Statewide, there have been more
than 10 times as many cases of labo
ratory-confirmed rabies in 1993 than
there were in 1990.
Worldwide, according to informa
tion supplied by Calabash veterinari
an Ernest Ward, more than 27,000
cases of animal rabies were report
ed, along with 500 confirmed hu
man cases.
"The actual number is most likely
to be well over 20,(XX)," he says,
adding that few Americans are
aware that in southern Asia alone,
rabies may account for more than
15, (XX) deaths per year.
"Bite wounds are by far the most
common mode of infection for ra
bies," Ward said. "Contact with bod
ily secretions, especially saliva, is
also a likely route of transmission.
Dogs and cats are usually exposed to
the virus when they fight with or are
attacked by a rabid animal."
The virus is shed in the saliva for
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It has not been a very good week. It all started when I dropped a ?
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thinking about the old sour puss when I remembered the saying, ?
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0 ten my wallet. I walked back home and realized I had forgotten to pick up the house key. [?
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p to open the garage door, but it wouldn't open. That was when I realized I forgot to pay W
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I need your help. Please take the check below to Coastal Drug Store,
make some purchases, sign the check and save 10% on any new
prescription and 5% on any sundry item in the store.
COASTAL DRUO STORE COASTAL DRUO STORH COASTAL DRUO STORE COASTAL DRUO STORK
The boss isn't kidding. Most of you
know the boss. He is the man who
made Abraham Lincoln scream.
Coostqi Drug Store
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up to 13 days before a rabid animal
exhibits any neurological signs and
continues until it dies, usually in 20
days or less.
Classical signs of rabies consist of
three disease stages:
?The prodromal stage lasts two
to three days and is characterized by
apprehension, nervousness, solitude
and intermittent fever. Friendly ani
mals become agitated and hostile,
while fractious and aggressive ani
mals may become unusually friend
ly and approachable;
?The "furious" stage typically
lasts one to seven days and presents
as manifests itself as restlessness
and extreme irritability. Dogs may
snap at unseen objects, chew and eat
unusual items and even attack their
owners. Cats especially exemplify
the furious stage and will scratch
and bite at anything.
?The final "dumb" or paralytic
stage usually develops within two to
four days (up to 10) after the first
clinical signs are observed. Dogs be
gin to salivate profusely because
they are unable to swallow, make
choking sounds which may make
the owner and veterinarian con
r
cemed that something may bo
lodged in the throat, and experience
difficulty in breathing. The animal
eventually lapses into coma and dies
of respiratory failure.
In humans, the syndrome is iden
tical.
"It is imperative to have your ani
mals vaccinated for this disease,"
Ward said. "You do not get a second
chance with rabies. We are experi
encing an outbreak of rabies in our
area of proportions that have never
been seen before."
If you observe a suspicious wild
animal, leave it along and contact
the Brunswick County Animal Con
trol Department at 754-8204.
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