The second case of rabies in Fannin County this year was confirmed late Tuesday afternoon in a raccoon that had attacked a dog in its pen in Morganton.
An employee of the Appalachian Animal Hospital in Ellijay called the Fannin County Environmental Health office on Monday to report that a Morganton resident had found the raccoon in the pen around 7 a.m. The raccoon escaped the pen, but the resident shot it and brought the body to the animal hospital.
The owner discovered the dog had received a scratch on its nose. The raccoon was tested at the Georgia Public Health Laboratory and it was found to have rabies.
Because the dog was not current on its rabies vaccination, the owner had it euthanized later that evening.