Front Street Animal Shelter calls for pet vaccinations and licensing after recent rabies cases

Following recent rabies cases near the Sacramento Zoo, including a skunk biting a visitor, the Front Street Animal Shelter urges pet owners to vaccinate and license their pets.

Pet licensing in Sacramento is legally required and serves as an official vaccination record, helping to protect pets and the community from rabies-a deadly but preventable disease.

"One of the reasons owners are required to license their pets is to create a system to ensure everyone is complying with rabies vaccine requirements," said Phillip Zimmerman, manager at the Front Street Animal Shelter. "Such requirements have made rabies in domestic animals a rare occurrence in our area, but the risk is still there."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, rabies is a viral disease that is deadly in humans unless immediate medical attention is administered, with 60,000 Americans a year receiving such treatment. The California Department of Public Health has determined that all 58 counties in California are rabies areas. According to Front Street, there are significant consequences if a pet is exposed to rabies but isn't vaccinated:

• If an unvaccinated pet comes into contact with an animal testing positive for rabies, the animal must be tested for rabies via a brain tissue sample, which requires euthanasia.
• If an unvaccinated pet is bitten by a species that is known to carry rabies, but the biting animal could not be tested, the pet must be placed on a 6-month confined quarantine with no interaction with people or other animals.
• If a pet has a current rabies vaccine, the quarantine period is only 30 days with requirements for boosters within two days of exposure.

In the Sacramento area, animals that could potentially carry rabies are skunks, bats, foxes, coyotes, and in rare cases other wildlife species. Species that are highly unlikely to carry rabies and do no trigger rabies testing protocols include possums and squirrels.

Zimmerman said the most important thing pet owners can do is vaccinate their animals. This can be done at a private veterinarian, and free and low-cost vaccine clinics.

"It is essential to license your animal when you get a rabies vaccine," said Zimmerman. "It's the law for a reason - licensing reminds us to keep those vaccines current, as well as supporting the shelter and its services to the community."

For City residents, more information about licensing can be found on the pet licensing web page.

Signs of rabies in animals can vary, but can include fearfulness, aggression, excessive drooling, staggering, paralysis, and seizures. More information about rabies can be found on the American Veterinary Medical Association.

If an animal is suspected of having rabies, the local animal control agency should be contacted. In the City of Sacramento, this can be done by calling 311.