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John, skunks definitely do die from rabies.  You may be thinking of possums.  They are somewhat resistant to rabies, and can be carriers.  Apparently possums have a lower body temperature than most mammals and thus the rabies virus is not always fatal to them.

 

Carla Richardson

Colorado

 

On 8/24/08, John Teeter <johnt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

it being skunk season and with the mention of rabies, please note that skunks are the only mammals which are not killed by rabies. Don't pet skunks, they can bite. Other critters, you wait to see if they happen to have rabies b/f you begin treatment. with skunks, you just assume the have rabies and start treatment right away ... or so I've heard.

jt

On Aug 24, 2008, at 1:47 PM, firedancefarms wrote:

Horse at US state fair dies of rabies
- -------------------------------------
A horse that attended the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia died of
rabies, state health officials say. The Missouri Department of Health
is notifying people who attended the state fair that the horse, which
was stabled and shown at the fair, had the disease.

"While there is little likelihood any visitor to the fair was exposed
to rabies from this horse, public health officials are making this
notification as a precaution," a spokesperson said.

The horse originated from Missouri and was a 2-year-old bay gelding
with a black mane, tail, and legs. It stood about 15 hands. During
the fair, the horse was shown in the Saddlebred Show and was stabled
in Barn C. "Illness was first noted in the horse on 17 Aug 2008," the
spokesperson said. "Over the next day and a half, the horse developed
severe neurologic signs and died the morning of 19 Aug 2008. The
horse subsequently tested positive for rabies."

People directly involved in the care of the horse are being contacted
and are being assessed for possible rabies exposure and the need for
rabies post-exposure treatment.

State Public Health Veterinarian Howard Pue said: "Attending an event
where a rabid animal was present or petting a rabid animal does not
constitute a risk for transmission."

Pue said rabies is transmitted mainly through bite wounds from an
infected animal. In some cases, it may be transmitted through fresh
open cuts in the skin or on to mucous membranes such as the eyes,
mouth, or nose from the saliva of a rabid animal.

The department says anyone who attended the fair between 7 Aug and 9
Aug 2008 should contact their doctor if they possibly had contact
with this horse and any of the following occurred during their visit
to the fair:
*  They were bitten by a horse;
*  Had contamination of a fresh open wound with saliva from a horse; or
*  Had saliva from a horse come in contact with eyes, nose, mouth or
other mucous membranes.

Louise Burton
Firedance Farms Endurance Arabians
http://pages.prodigy.net/firedancefarms

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