Two recent rabies cases can be added to the short list of such cases in Warren County this year.
In a rabies alert issued on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced a sick raccoon was picked up by a dog while the dog was being walked by its owner on Hazeltine Hollow Road in Sugar Grove Township. After noticing the raccoon was alive, the owner contacted the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Once in possession of the animal, Game Commission personnel submitted it to the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory. The raccoon tested positive for rabies.
No humans were exposed to the raccoon. The dog, which was exposed to it, had current vaccinations.
Still, the dog received a rabies booster and will be quarantined for 90 days.
In an earlier alert issued Wednesday, the department said another sick raccoon was found lying along Greene Avenue in Conewango Township on Aug. 31. Later in the morning, that same raccoon came to the glass door of a home and attempted to enter it.
A homeowner shot the raccoon and submitted it to the state veterinary laboratory. It also tested positive for rabies. No people or animals were exposed to it.
Pennsylvania law requires all dogs and non-feral cats three months of age and older to be vaccinated against rabies. Booster vaccinations must be administered periodically to maintain lifelong immunity. Failure to comply may result in a fine up to $300.
Nicole Bucher, deputy press secretary for the Department of Agriculture, said the most updated state rabies map for 2012 runs through July 31. For Warren County, there are two raccoons and one bat listed.
"That's quite a bit less than in other areas," Bucher said. "It seems concentrated in the southwest and southeast."
To report a rabies case, contact the Game Commission at 432-3189.