Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter Plans Emergency Rabies Clinic Saturday

In response to the recent confirmed cases of rabies in Franklin County, the Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter is holding an emergency rabies clinic on Saturday, January 25th.

Shelter Director Tammie Jourdenais says it’s important for people whose pets need to be vaccinated to take advantage of this special offer.

“We’ve had two positive animals in FRanklin County in the past couple of weeks, and it’s kind of scared everyone. Rabies is not a treatable disease. So, we’re going to hold an emergency rabies clinic to the public on Saturday, January 25th. It will be from noon to 2p. We’re only going to offer a one-year rabies vaccine and it will be $5 per pet,” Jourdenais explained.

Franklin County Environmental Health Director Louis Korff said there were two confirmed cases of rabies in wild animals so far this month.

The first happened in Lavonia prompting Korff to go door-to-door handing our flyers on the dangers and symptoms of rabies.

“A skunk tangled with some dogs and it turned out to have rabies,” Korff said. “Normally, when I have wild carnivores with rabies, I don’t do door-to-door canvassing, I only do it with domestic animals. But because it happened in a densely populated area, I just feel it’s the right thing to do.”

Korff said shortly after that a raccoon tested positive for rabies in Carnesville.

“On January 8th a raccoon in the area of downtown Carnesville was captured and killed and returned positive for rabies,” Korff said. “Rabies can be transmitted to domestic animals and people and is always fatal in humans if not treated in time. If you know of any person or pet who may have come in contact with this animal, please call me at Environmental Health at 706-918-3185.”

In August, a rabid fox entered a man’s yard on Vickery St. The homeowner shot the fox. It was taken for testing and came back positive for rabies.

Again, the emergency rabies clinic will take place Saturday, January 25 from noon to 2p at the Northeast Georgia Animal Shelter.

The cost is $5 and it is open to anyone in any county who needs to have their pet vaccinated against this deadly disease.