KENDALL COUNTY, Texas – A dog tested positive for rabies in Kendall County, animal control officials said.
An 8-month-old heeler-border collie mix, which died, bit two people Wednesday on a ranch outside of Boerne, Kendall County Animal Control officials said.
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The dog was taken to an animal shelter to be quarantined and under observation. At that time, the dog didn't display any signs of rabies.
The next day, the dog became very ill and died, animal control officials said.
The dog was taken to a lab in San Antonio for testing, and on Friday, the results came back as positive for rabies.
Officials said the positive rabies case is the first involving a domestic dog in Kendall County.
The lab which conducted the test hadn't had a dog test positive for rabies in five years.
Kendall County Animal Control released a statement regarding the rabies case:
We want to stress the fact that this dog to the untrained eye would have just appeared slightly sick and agitated. He was not foaming at the mouth and going crazy like most people envision when they picture rabies.
The owners almost did not call and the dog would have died the next day, and they stated they would have just buried it and thought it was parvo.
To the untrained eye, this dog would have been overlooked.
We want to stress to people that if their pets behavior changes or if they start acting sick -- not eating, acting lethargic, or vomiting, they need to contact a veterinarian. Bites (that) break the skin must be reported to your local animal control.
If an animal bites someone, and then dies, the bite still needs to be reported, so that the animal can be tested.
While rabies is not that common in domesticated animals because the rabies vaccination is available, it does and can happen.
We encourage everybody to make sure that your animals have the rabies vaccination, and to follow what your local jurisdiction requires on the rules and regulations on getting your animals vaccinations, which can vary anywhere from one to three years.