4 days ago
8th rabies case confirmed in Gaston County
GASTON COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Gaston County has confirmed the county's eighth rabies case of 2025.
7th rabies case confirmed in Gaston County
On Tuesday, June 3, Gaston County Police Animal Care and Enforcement received a call from the NCDHHS State Laboratory of Public Health in Raleigh in reference to a cat that had tested positive for rabies.
A private citizen, part of a TNR (Trap Neuter Release) program, located a cat in the 100 Block of Pistol Road, Dallas on May 25. The cat received a spay on May 27 at a local clinic and did not recover from the surgery as normal.
The cat was seen again by the clinic on May 30, and a different regimen of medications and procedures were tried over the weekend.
On June 2, the cat was still not improving and was taken to a different local veterinarian office, but the cat passed away while in route to that facility. The citizen transported the cat to the Griffin Animal Disease Lab in Monroe and dropped it off for a necropsy, where it later tested positive for rabies.
An Animal Care and Enforcement Specialist completed a neighborhood canvass in the area of Pistol Road, Dallas on June 3 to notify the community of the positive rabies results, and verify rabies vaccinations for family pets in the area.
In addition, the Enforcement Specialist gathered information from all other persons who may have had contact with the cat in question and provided resources and education to help understand the dangers of family and community pets that are not adequately vaccinated.
Gaston County Animal Care and Enforcement notified the Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services about the incident. DHHS has been reaching out to those affected in order to provide guidance and recommendations for this possible exposure.
The Gaston County Police Department Animal Care and Enforcement Division stresses the importance of having a valid rabies vaccination for all pet's health and safety, as well as the health and safety of their owners and community.
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