Pet Dog is Savaged in North Brunswick Rabid Skunk Attack

For the third time this year, a rabid animal has been found in Middlesex County.

County health officials released an advisory Friday, Oct. 14, that a skunk afflicted with rabies attacked a pet dog in North Brunswick in the Glenn Ave. and Linwood Place.

The dog was mauled during the skunk attack and was put down because of the injuries the pet sustained.

The skunk was euthanized on Oct. 12 after being caught and taken to a veterinarian's office by a Franklin Township animal control officer, who has jurisdiction in North Brunswick for such incidents, officials said in a statement. The dead skunk was tested for rabies, and the news came back to county officials from a state health laboratory on Friday that the wild animal was indeed rabid.

Both the owner of the dog and the animal control officer are receiving treatment because of their contact with the rabid animal, county health officials said. The pet owner, because he touched the dog after the attack, has begun post rabies exposure treatment, and the animal control officer received a booster immunization, because of exposure to the skunk.

County officials said in a statement that county residents should report wild animals who show signs of unusual behavior to their local animal control office. Residents should also limit their contact with wild animals and immediately report any bites from either wild or domestic animals, and consult a physician as soon as possible. 

Family pets should also be brought up to date with their rabies vaccinations and licenses.   

This is the third rabies incident in 2011. In July,  found in Piscataway was found to be rabid. No further information was available at press time on the first incident.

Also in July of this year, a 73-year-old woman who had been bitten by a dog in Haiti died at Overlook Hospital in Summit. It was  of human rabies in the state since 1997.

As bad as the rabies scare is, 2011 has been a relatively quiet year for rabies encounters. In 2010, 18 rabid animals were found inside Middlesex County.

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