“Good Deed” Could Have Deadly Repercussions”

We all have a soft heart for dogs, cats and wild animals that appear to be lost or injured. What we don’t think about is how we are putting ourselves at risk.  Every time we attempt to help, we are putting ourselves at risk for injury, disease and rabies.

Did You Know?

  • Every year 1500-1600 animal bites are reported to the Montgomery County Health Department.
  • The World Health Organization reports that over 55,000 people die of rabies every year worldwide.  That is about one person dying of Rabies every ten minutes.
  • The #1 carrier of rabies in Montgomery County is the raccoon.
  • The average cost of Rabies treatment for humans following exposure is $15,000 and consists of 4 trips to the Emergency Room and hospital.
  • By PA law, dogs and cats must be vaccinated for rabies by 3 months of age and vaccinations must be kept up to date.

What should you do?

You see a domestic or wild animal-

  • Do not for any reason go near or try to lure pet over to yourself or anyone else.  Even a dog or cat that appears to have a collar or tags may not be up to date on their vaccines.
  • Contact the proper authorities who are trained to handle these situations. For Domestic Animals contact Montgomery County Animal Control (610) 825-0111 or research the animal control contact number for your township. For Wild Animals contact Professional Wildlife Removal (610) 927-7792 or your local game commission.

Game Commission in the Southeast Region

Berks, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill counties:

253 Snyder Road

Reading, PA 19605

Phone: 610-926-3136, 610-926-3137, 610-926-1966