Skunk Raises Rabies Concerns

Cheyenne Animal Shelter Director Rick Collard is urging pet owners to make sure their animals are currently vaccinated against rabies in light of a recent report of a skunk in eastern Laramie County which tested positive for the disease. Collard says the skunk in question came into contact with 2 dogs which now must be quarantined for 45 days by order of the county health department. Collard says it's only because  the dogs had a history of being vaccinated against the disease (there is some question as to whether the vaccinations were current, according to Collard) that the animals weren't quarantined for 6 months. Collard says Laramie County has now counted 16 confirmed cases of rabies since January of 2011, which he says is an unusually high number for this area over that time.