Fourth Rabies Clinic Scheduled in Franklin County
Two Franklin County veterinarians will be joining in the effort to combat rabies this month on September 28th, which is National Rabies Awareness Day.
Every year Tugaloo Animal Hospital in Lavonia offers discount rabies vaccines to pet owners.
Now, the Franklin County Health Department has announced that Royston Animal Hospital will also hold a rabies clinic on the 28th because of the high number of confirmed rabies cases this summer in wild life in Franklin County.
The most recent case happened last month, when according to Franklin County Environmental Health Director Louis Korff, a woman was bitten by a rabid stray cat.
“A lady had a cat walk across her property and she wanted to protect it from her dogs so she walked up to it and it appeared friendly,” Korff said. “So, she reached out to pick the cat up and it attacked her. The cat turned out to be rabid.”
In that case, the woman had to undergo a series of post-exposure shots, but did recover. And in July, children playing on Jackson Bridge Road narrowly avoided contact with a rabid skunk.
“Two little girls were playing out on Jackson Bridge when a neighbor saw the skunk, which was obviously rabid, not 100 feet from where the girls were,” Korff said. “She called 911 and then called me. I came out and observed while a Sheriff’s deputy dispatched the skunk.”
Korff said the situation could have been much worse if the children had tried to help what appeared to be a sick animal needing help.
And in June, there were a number of reported cases of rabid skunks, raccoons, and fox in and around the Royston and Franklin Springs area.
The rabies clinic on the 28th is the fourth rabies clinic in Franklin County this summer. The Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter held a rabies clinic in April. Then in May a clinic was held that was sponsored by the Franklin County Health Department that included all three county veterinarians. In July, Royston Animal Hospital held a special rabies clinic in Royston and Franklin Springs at the request of the Royston and Franklin Springs police departments because of the high number of confirmed rabies cases in those two towns.
The $5 rabies vaccines will be offered at Tugaloo Animal Hospital on September 28 in the animal hospital parking lot from 8:30a to 5:30p. Royston Animal Hospital will offer low-cost rabies vaccines from 8a to noon on the 28th.