Rabies in Essex County: what dog owners need to know

The Department of Public Health names raccoons, skunks and bats as the animals that most commonly carry rabies in Massachusetts, and its 2024 summary bears that out. Statewide, 46 raccoons, 33 bats and 17 skunks tested positive, along with 3 foxes, 3 woodchucks, 2 coyotes, 7 cats and a long-tailed weasel. None of the 612 dogs submitted was positive. The figures count only the animals that were sent to the state laboratory, so they show where rabies was found, not how much of it is out there.

Essex County submitted 254 animals in 2024 and 13 were positive, or 5.1 percent. Six of those came in January through March, four in April through June, three in July through September and none in the last quarter. Middlesex, Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth and Worcester counties each recorded more positives, and every county except Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket had at least one. The department has since listed a 2025 summary on its annual reports page, which is the place to check for newer figures.

The regulation puts the duty to report on anyone who knows about the exposure, and it asks for specifics: the date, a description of the animals, where the wild animal is now or was last seen, and the owner's name. Report to the inspector of the municipality where the exposure happened, which may not be your own town if it happened on a walk in Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea. The inspector then works out the dog's vaccination status and who else, human or animal, was exposed.

Bites to people follow a separate track. The Department of Public Health asks that wildlife bites to a person be handled through its 24/7 epidemiology line, which assesses the risk and arranges testing of the animal at the state laboratory. In people, rabies can be prevented with prompt treatment after an exposure and is fatal without it, which is why that call should not wait for the morning.

The Department of Public Health's prevention list reads like a dog owner's checklist: keep pets vaccinated, leave no pet food or water outside, do not let pets roam but keep them in a fenced yard or on a leash, cover garbage securely, cap the chimney and repair holes in attics, cellars and porches, and report any animal behaving oddly to local animal control. It also asks people to enjoy wild animals from a distance, which for a dog means a recall that works before the dog reaches the raccoon.

The same regulation requires any veterinary office or boarding facility to see proof of current rabies vaccination before it accepts a dog, and Dogtown's paperwork starts there: Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current city license, checked at the free evaluation on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30. Dog daycare is $42 for a full day and $33 for a half. A dog under a confinement order stays where the order says, so tell the front desk and ask about coming back once the inspector has released it in writing.