BATH

A raccoon that bit a dog Monday tested positive for rabies, Bath police said Thursday.

Bath Chief Michael Field said a north end resident reported their yellow Labrador retriever had been bitten by a raccoon on Monday. The homeowners trapped the raccoon in their garage after the dog was bitten. Bath Animal Control Officer Ann Harford responded and captured the animal.

The raccoon was taken to the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Lab, where it tested positive for rabies, Field said.

The pet’s owner was notified and is taking the required precautions. The dog’s rabies vaccination was current; it will receive a rabies booster and be kept under observation for 45 days.

Field said this is Bath’s third confirmed case of rabies this year.

In April, a High Street resident’s terrier killed a woodchuck. In July, a man was bitten by a fox while working in his barn on Whiskeag Road. In both cases the animals tested positive for rabies.

Field urged citizens to vaccinate their pets against rabies, and to use caution when handling a pet that fought or received wounds as the result of a fight with any wild animal.

To reduce the risk of exposure to rabies, pet owners should wear waterproof gloves for protection while washing or treating their pet after the incident.

“As always, do not approach wildlife that appears to be sick or acting strangely,” Field said in a news release.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said rabies is a preventable viral disease, with the vast majority of rabies cases occuring in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes.

Rabies infects the central nervous system, causing disease in the brain and death. Early symptoms in people include fever, headache and general weakness or discomfort. More specific symptoms may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation and increase in saliva.