PCC News Monthly January 2016 | Page 34

Rabid Domestic Cat Alert On December 3, 2015, a domestic cat was hit by a car in the 3200 block of Date Creek Drive in the Castle Canyon subdivision of Prescott Valley. The cat owner’s roommate was bitten when he tried to assist the cat off the roadway. The cat died and was left on the owner’s porch wrapped in a towel. The injured roommate was treated at a local hospital and released. A YCSO animal control officer arrived the next day to remove the cat and a few days later, a specimen was sent to a lab for rabies testing. On December 11, 2015, the YCSO Animal Control Office was notified that the cat tested positive for rabies. Animal Control Officers tracked down the previously injured man and alerted him to the test results. He immediately went to the hospital for post rabies exposure treatment. Officers returned to the cat owner’s home to share the test results and survey any family, friends, or neighbors that may have been exposed. Officers did remove and quarantine a 2nd domestic cat that had been in a recent fight with the rabid cat. This is the first known rabid domestic cat recorded since the late 1950’s in Yavapai County. It is important to know that rabies is present in this area and that unvaccinated domestic animals can present a danger to humans. Also, please remember it is important to report any animal bite so that testing and tracking of the potential rabid animal can be done quickly and proper treatment for the bite victim(s) can be sought. In this case, the victim was going to bury the cat with reporting the bite. When the bite became infected, he went to the hospital who reported the bite to YCSO Animal Control. FOR ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING RABIES ISSUES, PLEASE CONTACT THE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICE AT 928-771-3282. “Animal Control” The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office recently launched a new website that provides dog owners the ability to obtain licenses, maintain pet records, and even report an animal missing among the many other features. Click right here: www.ycsoaz. sheltertrack.com/ We want to thank all the dog owners who have utilized the site since our original announcement back in July of this year. Your participation is greatly appreciated as YCSO Animal Control Officers work to create complete electronic storage of records for easier access and efficiency with the added benefit of convenience to Yavapai County dog owners. Remember, this service is provided free of charge. Once you create an account, dog license tools can be accessed. NOW IS THE TIME TO REGISTER YOUR DOG FOR THE 2016 LICENSING YEAR. You can renew your license online for the same period as your rabies vaccination. Pay by the year or up to 3 years of the vaccination period via Pay Pal or a credit card through Pay Pal. A reminder regarding the additional features of this free program: - You can track your animal’s medical records including rabies vaccinations history, spayed or neutered documentation and date, veterinarian appointments and services needed. You can also record surgeries, injuries or medical needs (warnings, diabetic, medications) and quarantines (home, vet or shelter). Users can update animal ownership or passing (terminates licensing obligation, notices and rabies). - Receive email notifications on rabies vaccinations, licenses, and veterinarian visits. - General medical records on your dog are available to you online and to all county veterinarians. Accessible to you while traveling on vacation. - Register for Service Dog fee exemption (Red tag license). - You can appoint secondary people for co-guardianship which allows vet visit verifications, lost and found notification, and licensing. - County wide Lost and Found web page – with one click of a button, you can label your dog lost and one click of a button to label the dog found. The website can be searched for lost dogs in your area. To register for your account, simply click on the ‘Create a login’ link in the left hand menu of the home page at www. ycsoaz.sheltertrack.com/ and fill in the requested information. Some users may find that previously submitted records are already in the system. The entry of remaining records by YCSO personnel is ongoing. If you have any questions about the website content, please call the YCSO Animal Control Unit, Sgt. Deb Dean at 928777-7285. For technical issues involving registration and account set-up, contact Ron Castle at 928-777-7403, www.ycsoaz.gov 34 January 2016 PCC_JAN16.indd 34 pccnews 12/23/15 10:32 AM