WESTERN GROVE, Ark.-
A rabid skunk was found recently in north Arkansas, attacking a kitten. Veterinarian Beverly McClintock of Western Grove said a Marion County woman said she heard a commotion coming from under bushes last week.
She looked under the bushes and saw a skunk attacking a kitten. McClintock said the woman told her she beat the skunk off the kitten with a stick, then the skunk chased her onto the porch and sprayed her.
Neighbors helped look for the skunk and found it in a dog house.
McClintock said she sent the skunk off for testing, and the state Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the skunk had rabies.
Veterinarian Jeremy Powell of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service said rabies are a viral infection. Once established in the brain, the disease is normally fatal.
Rabies most often are carried by skunks, raccoons and bats.
“If you see a skunk walking around during the middle of the day, and it doesn’t seem to be afraid of you, stay as far away as you can. That’s not normal behavior,” he said.
Rabid animals may appear to be either “dumb” or “furious,” he said. A dog or cat in the dumb stage of rabies might be less active than usual. It may have a drooping jaw and appear to be choking. It may salivate excessively. The animal also may refuse food and eat sticks and rocks.
Cats usually don’t go through the furious stage, while dogs do.
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Information from: Harrison Daily Times,
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