Rabid raccoon found in Mount Holly barn

A rabid racoon was recently found in a family’s barn in Mount Holly.

The animal was discovered around 9:30 a.m. Saturday at a property in the 1500 block of Stanley Lucia Road.

Gaston County Police Animal Care and Enforcement responded to the call and impounded the raccoon before sending it to the N.C. Laboratory of Public Health in Raleigh where it was tested.

Investigators got the test results Tuesday afternoon indicating the raccoon tested positive for the disease.

There was no human contact with the raccoon, and the animal owner did not witness the family dog have any interaction with the it.

As a precaution, the dog received a rabies booster shot from a veterinarian.

Animal Care and Enforcement completed a neighborhood canvass in the area of Stanley Lucia Road, Mount Holly, to notify the community of the positive rabies results and verify rabies vaccinations for family animals in the area.

Gaston County Animal Care and Enforcement also notified Gaston County Department Health and Human Services about the incident.

The Gaston County Police Department Animal Care and Enforcement Division stresses the importance of having a valid rabies vaccination for all pet’s health and safety, as well as the health and safety of their owners and community, it said in a press release.

This represents the third confirmed rabies case in Gaston County this year.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Rabid raccoon found in Mount Holly barn