State urges vaccine updates for pets

Bat in LR among higher-than-usual number of rabid animals seen this year

The Arkansas Department of Health is using the discovery of a rabid bat in Little Rock to warn residents to make sure their pet vaccinations are up to date.

The bat was found last week in the vicinity of Alberta and Leatrice drives in the Leawood neighborhood in Little Rock, according to a neighborhood e-mail post. It tested positive Monday for rabies.

Susan Weinstein, the state public health veterinarian, on Friday confirmed that a bat from the Little Rock area recently tested positive, but she was traveling and was unable to confirm the details.

Weinstein said her typical protocol in cases in which rabies-positive animals are found is to ask whoever found the animals to alert their neighbors and make sure that all their pets’ vaccinations are up to date. “They are going to be the best person to let other people know,” she said.

The Health Department announced Thursday that for the second year in a row, a dog has tested positive for rabies. The dog belonged to a resident in Yell County, where it was living in a pen near its owner’s home.

“A rabid skunk had gotten into the pen with the dog and subsequently died, presumably after a fight,” the department said in a statement posted on its website. “The dog started to show symptoms of rabies and was euthanized.”

Through Tuesday, the department has recorded 63 rabies-positive tests on animals. They include 54 skunks, seven bats, one bull and the dog. The state typically sees 40 to 45 positive tests a year, Weinstein said.

Arkansas also had a high number — 60 — last year, Weinstein said. Other states have seen a similar rise in rabies cases, which some say is a result of a mild winter, she said.