Pennsyltucky

I'd like to thank our esteemed colleagues in Pennsylvania for sharing with us an excerpt from an email recently sent out to veterinarians in that state. Apparently their regional veterinarian makes a habit of sending out monthly maps showing where there have been diagnosed cases of rabies and listings of potential exposures and so on. The March mailing contained this paragraph:

The maps are attached for your use.  There was nothing terribly unusual last month. I will, however, share with you a rabies case we just received a few days ago in which the person who was being attacked by the rabid raccoon killed, butchered and ate said raccoon.  Interestingly, usually even the dogs we deal with that kill rabid raccoons do not seem to eat them.  While eating a properly cooked rabid animal does not necessarily constitute an exposure, the butchering of the rabid animal can often lead to human exposures and so butchering of rabid animals for consumption is not advisable.

Good to know.