Rabies!

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February is skunk mating month. If you wonder why that bit of trivia would make the lead in a horse health magazine, then this column is for you!

Skunks are one of the leading carriers of rabies in the United States. At the time this column is being written it’s not even the new year, and near my home we have what has been termed a "mini-epidemic" of rabies. There have been seven cases of skunk rabies diagnosed in my county, along with a bat (another leading wildlife carrier of rabies), and a dog. These are cases where the animals were killed and taken to the University of Kentucky’s Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center for testing and found positive for rabies. In adjacent and nearby counties there have been laboratory diagnoses of five other cases of skunk rabies as well as rabies in five bats, two dogs, and two horses. And those are just the cases that were recognized, the animal euthanized, and the body taken for testing. Friends have told me tales of skunks chasing them in broad daylight, and since skunks are nocturnal animals, that is a sure sign something is wrong.

When was the last time you had a horse slobber on you? Probably the last time you were around your horses. When was the last time you handled a bit covered in horse slobber? When was the last time you had a cut or scrape on your hand and didn’t wear gloves in the barn? Have you ever been nipped or bitten by a horse so hard that it broke the skin?

Most human rabies cases are due to bites from rabid animals, but you can get rabies through exposure to infectious material from a rabid animalÑsuch as salivaÑcontacting your eyes, nose, mouth, or an open wound

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