Why recommend that domestic animals get vaccinated if raccoons are the animals spreading rabies?
Raccoons are very good at spreading rabies. When rabid raccoons enter an area, many other types of animals acquire rabies from raccoons. From 1989 through 2000, over 4,300 New Jersey animals were found to have rabies as a result of the raccoon rabies epizootic. Although 77% of these animals were raccoons, 14% were skunks, 4% were cats, 2% were foxes, and 2% were groundhogs. Twelve other species of animals were also diagnosed with rabies. Can raccoons be vaccinated against rabies? An oral rabies vaccine for raccoons in a fish-flavored bait, called V-RG, has been tested in southern New Jersey and shown to be effective. This vaccine has recently been approved for general use by the United States Department of Agriculture and could be used by municipalities to reduce or control the spread of rabies in raccoon populations. However, state review and approval is needed to purchase this vaccine and its use would not replace traditional rabies control measures, such as domestic animal vaccinati
