Do you know what DOG ESSENTIALS you are missing out? Find out now!
Zack Keithy, our author, is a certified veterinarian technician (UC Blue Ash) for over 6 years (contact him here). The articles written here are based on his expertise and experience, combined with a review by our expert vet reviewers including Dr M. Tarantino. Learn more about us here.
The Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first case of dog rabies since 2014. It is only the fifth in the last two decades, according to KALB in Pineville.
Domestic pets rarely get rabies in Louisiana, but they don’t have to go far to meet a carrier. “Wildlife carries it. We have wildlife everywhere,” said Eden Oglethorpe, Pineville Animal Control supervisor.
She named raccoons, squirrels, and foxes as common carriers. There is no cure for rabies and no test for living animals, which is why prevention matters.
The World Health Organization says rabies is fatal in 100% of cases once the virus reaches the central nervous system and symptoms appear. Oglethorpe said the news scared her.
She said it made her realize the public isn’t fully informed about how contagious and serious rabies is. For animal control officers, it’s an urgent reminder of how quickly a viral threat can enter a community.
Louisiana law requires owners to vaccinate all cats and dogs against rabies once they turn three months old. The shot must be repeated every year by a licensed veterinarian, who provides a tag and a certificate.
Within Pineville city limits, every dog must wear a rabies tag at all times. Owners also need to keep the rabies certificate up to date.
Cats don’t have to wear the tag, but they still need yearly vaccinations. If a pet gets into an altercation with wildlife or another animal, owners should contact local authorities and their vet immediately.
My thoughts:
The number that stands out is how long it’s been. A case in a dog hadn’t been confirmed in Louisiana since 2014, which is exactly how people end up skipping a yearly shot.
Oglethorpe’s point is the useful one. Rabies is rare in pets because vaccination works, not because the virus has gone away from the wildlife around them.
The article doesn’t say where the dog was or how it was infected, so there’s no local detail to add. What it does give is a simple checklist: a yearly vaccine, a current certificate, a tag on the collar, and a call to the vet after any run-in with wildlife.
Source: KALB (Alexandria, LA), reporting by Kaylee Whittaker, based on information from the Louisiana Department of Health and Pineville Animal Control
