BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. () — Beaufort County Animal Services has recently issued a social media alert to warn residents and their pets about the current threat of rabies and distemper disease. Both diseases have the potential to be fatal, but pet owners can take specific precautions to protect their pets.

Beaufort County Animal Services (BCAS) sent out the social media post this week after recent threats of outbreaks in the county.

“In light of the recent threats of distemper and rabies outbreaks in our county, it’s vital for all pet owners to verify that their animals are vaccinated against these dangerous diseases,” stated the BCAS social media post.

According to the BCAS social media message, distemper is a potentially deadly disease that is “highly contagious among animals and can spread quickly between wildlife and pets.”

“Rabies is a zoonotic disease, which means it can be transmitted to humans and is nearly always fatal once symptoms appear,” the post continued.

Kirstyn Northropp-Cobb from Raskel’s Rescue noted she was unaware of any recent cases in Jasper County but mentioned hearing of several occurrences in the Lowcountry region.

“Rabies is always a threat whenever there’s wildlife or just any sort of mammal interaction,” said Cobb.

Though the disease may be thought of as rare, animal officials said that’s not the case in our heavy wildlife environment.

“I wish it was,” Cobb remarked. “But we’re still observing cases; I think 120 were reported in Beaufort County alone last year.  So, it’s definitely still present and something we need to be vigilant about.”

Officials pointed out that rabies is more prevalent than distemper and is commonly carried by wild animals such as bats, raccoons, and foxes. Nevertheless, there have also been cases of rabies in stray cats and dogs, as reported by officials.

Domesticated pets are a rarer case.

“We only see it if the animals haven’t been vaccinated, but you definitely see it in wildlife from time to time. Now, that being said, I don’t want you to panic about wildlife,” said Cobb. “If you see animals out in the daylight, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have rabies. It usually just means that they’re out trying to find food. So, let’s not panic, but also let’s not handle wildlife.”

Officials said if your pet or animal has been bitten by a possible rabid or distempered animal, go to the vet immediately.

They said rabies specifically takes around six months to enter an animal’s system and no noticeable symptoms usually show until then, but once they do, death unfortunately follows within/around 10 days.

“Fortunately, there’s a vaccine for it, so it’s best to definitely keep your animals vaccinated,” said Cobb. “There’s going to be a quarantine period.  By law, you have to quarantine for six months if they are not vaccinated and they’ve had or they’ve gotten bit.  If they are vaccinated and they get bit, there’s still a ten-day quarantine.”

Animal officials said if you notice a rabid or distempered animal, or your pet has been bitten, you need to report it to the health department, as well as the Department of Natural Resources.