Bobcat Was Rabid,
Test Shows
By Sandy Vondrasek Cooch

The healthy-looking bobcat that that was shot and killed after it attacked two goats inside a Stockbridge barn Feb. 10 has tested positive for rabies, state public health veterinarian Dr. Bob Johnson reported late last week.

Dr. Johnson noted that reports of rabid bobcats are relatively rare; he is aware of one in West Rutland several years ago. However, rabies is in making quite an appearance in Vermont this year, with 16 cases reported so far, in 10 counties.

The bobcat incident marks the second confirmed rabid animal in the White River Valley area since the new year started; both cases involved wild animal attacks on livestock.

In late January, a black Angus cow in Chelsea became ill, and was subsequently put down and tested positively for rabies. It is believed that a rabid skunk had bitten the cow in December while it was pastured.

The more recent bobcat attack at the small hill farm of Karen and Adam Rogers left one female pygmy goat dead and her six-month old kid injured.

In Quarantine

Now, baby goat Nemo is in quarantine for six months, Karen Rogers reported this week. He and other livestock animals at their farm are undergoing a series of rabies shots, under the supervision of local veterinarian Dr. Will Barry.

Both Dr. Barry and F&W game warden Keith Gallant responded to the Rogers’ farm, shortly after Adam Rogers shot and killed the bobcat inside the goats’ stall. At that time, Dr. Barry gave initial rabies shots to all the goats and horses on the farm, although the bobcat appeared to be healthy. Testing on the bobcat, done at the insistence of Karen Rogers, came back positive last week.

Barry said this week that he will give all animals a second round of shots at three weeks, and a third at eight weeks. The series of shots is not so much treatment for a rabies infection as a way to jumpstart the animals’ immune systems, Dr. Barry said.

The Rogers themselves will not undergo rabies shots because they did not have direct contact with the bobcat, they have been advised.

Game Warden Gallant conceded this week that he was a little surprised to learn that the robust-looking bobcat was rabid.

"It just goes to show that any animal, no matter how it looks, is potentially a carrier of disease," he noted.

Rabies typically has a long incubation period—although the time varies from species to species—with a brief period of physical symptoms and infectiousness occurring only at the end of the course of the always-fatal disease.

According to Dr. Johnson, an animal infected with rabies becomes infectious (via bites or other salivary contact) only when the spreading rabies virus reaches its salivary glands. That’s usually about the same time the disease reaches the brain, triggering unusual behaviors.

Some animals, such as the Stockbridge bobcat, don’t exhibit overt signs of the disease.

So, if any pet or livestock "tangles" with a wild animal, it is better to err on the side of caution, and assume the wild animal was rabid, whether or not rabies is confirmed through testing, Game Warden Gallant said.

Dr. Johnson’s triad of advice is: Vaccinate your pets; don’t handle wildlife; and have a plan and somebody to contact for help, in the event of a rabies incident.

A good source of information, he added, is the state’s rabies hotline: 1-800-4-RABIES, or 802-223-8690.

Livestock, Too

Dr. Barry firmly believes that all animals that have contact with the outdoors—not just pets— should be vaccinated.

The costs incurred by proactive vaccination, he pointed out, will be far less than the outlay required for an "outbreak" on a farm. He noted that Karen and Adam Rogers, who had their pygmy goats carefully penned in a box stall inside a barn, still ended up dealing with a rabid animal attack.

Large animals, such as cows and horses, need annual vaccinations, Dr. Barry said, while smaller animals, such as goats, can get up to three years’ protection with one shot.

The cost to vaccinate livestock might be around $8 per animal if done by a vet, but farmers could do it themselves for much less, Barry said.

Vaccinated animals that do have a run-in with a rabid or suspicious animal should get a booster, but only need 10 days of observation, as opposed to six months of quarantine for an unvaccinated animal.

Karen Rogers reported this week that little Nemo, who is spending his quarantine period at her parents’ barn nearby, is doing remarkably well.

"He’s turning back into his normal self—I hope he doesn’t come down with the virus," she said.

According to Dr. Barry, Nemo’s physical injuries were secondary to the trauma he sustained.

"I think it’s a miracle that the goat is doing well," he said. "Goats and sheep don’t take that kind of shock too well."

Don’t ‘Save’ Babies

Spring—and new life—is coming soon, and F&W Game Warden Keith Gallant this week reminded residents NEVER to pick up baby wild animals.

Just a week or so ago, he said, one of the state’s daily papers ran a photograph of a girl holding a raccoon. She had "saved" the animal, it was reported, which she had found "huddled" on the roadside.

"It ended up dying the next day," Gallant said, and was tested for rabies. Fortunately, the animal did not have rabies, but Gallant has dealt with other would-be rescuers who were not so lucky.

Those who pick up what appear to be abandoned or orphaned baby animals have "the best intentions," Gallant noted, but they are potentially exposing themselves and others to rabies.

"The message is clear," he said. "Wild animals are meant to be wild."

Those who find such wildlife should contact a game warden, or other officials to make sure the animal is handled properly, he noted.

State veterinarian Dr. Bob Johnson this week underscored the importance of Gallant’s warning. He noted that his department is interested in testing strangely acting animals. Call the rabies hotline, 1-800-4-RABIES for more information.