Kennebec Valley Humane Society will be hosting a rabies vaccination clinic this Saturday after four cases of rabies were confirmed in raccoons in Augusta throughout the spring and several other suspected cases were reported in and around the city.

Owners may bring their dogs and cats to Room 17 in Buker Community Center between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday for the vaccinations. The cost will be $10 per pet. Owners are required to keep their dogs on leashes and their cats in carriers.

The clinic is being co-organized by the city’s animal control division.

In addition to the raccoons that were confirmed to have rabies this spring, several encounters between people and rabid animals were also reported. In March, a 73-year-old woman was bitten by a rabid raccoon on Sewall Street after the animal was spotted at different locations around the city’s west side.

“In light of the recent confirmed cases of rabies in wildlife in our community, it’s especially important for families and individuals to be vigilant in keeping their families away from wildlife and their pets vaccinated against rabies,” said Hillary Roberts, executive director of the Kennebec Valley Humane Society, in a press release for the rabies clinic. “At KVHS, we want to be part of the solution by providing low cost opportunities for people to get their pets vaccinated.”

Roberts said that if you see an animal acting strangely or you suspect it has rabies, you should stay away from it and immediately contact your an animal control officer or police department. Some indicators that an animal might be rabid include general sickness, excessive drool or saliva, appearing tamer than you may expect, biting at everything, appearing to have trouble moving or acting disoriented.

To prevent exposure to rabies, Roberts also urged area residents to avoid all contact with wild animals, teach children to avoid wild animals, never touch dead animals, never keep food or water for pets outside and keep garbage securely covered outside.

Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that affects the brain and spinal cord and causes death if left untreated in humans. Rabies is rare in humans in the United States but is not uncommon in wildlife, particularly in skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes. Exposure to rabies happens when saliva or neural tissue of a rabid animal comes in contact with a person or animal through a bite, scratch or cut in the skin, or gets into the eyes, nose, or mouth.

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