Rabies
- Protect Your Pet
- Rabies Overview
- Rabies Signs in Animals
- Exposure Instructions
- Additional Rabies Information
Vaccinations
The only way to fully protect your pets is to ensure that they are currently vaccinated. The Health Department offers rabies vaccination clinics for cats, dogs, and ferrets 3 months of age and older.
Health Department Clinics
The Health Department typically offers two clinics a year for community members to get their pets vaccinated. You do not have to live in Frederick County to attend the clinic. Dogs, cats and ferrets 3 months and older can be vaccinated at the clinic. There is a $10 per animal, for the clinic. Payment is accepted in cash or check only. No credit or debit cards accepted. Check beck later for the information on the next clinic.
Other Options:
- For Frederick County Animal Control clinics, visit their website or call 301-600-1546.
- For Frederick County Humane Society clinics, spay/neuter programs, pet food bank and micro-chipping information, visit their website, or call 301-694-8300.
- For Animal Welfare League of Frederick County clinics, spay/neuter information and pet food bank information, visit their website or call 301-663-5855.
- For clinics through the Carroll County Health Department check their website.
- For residents of Montgomery County their clinic information is available at Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center.
- For information on clinics through the Howard County Health Department click here.
- For residents of Washington County the Humane Society of Washington County has clinic information here.
Rabies Overview
Rabies is a virus that can affect domesticated pets (dogs and cats), livestock, and non-domesticated animals (groundhogs, skunks, raccoons, bats, opossums, etc.). Fish, snakes, lizards, and birds cannot carry or get the rabies virus. The rabies virus is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal. You cannot get rabies from blood, skunk spray, urine, feces, or from petting an infected animal.
Who to Contact
- Animal Control: to report bites and collect specimens
- During regular business hours (Mon-Fri, 7am-11pm): call 301-600-1544
- After hours, weekends, and holidays: call 301-600-1603
- Bite reports can be faxed to 301-600-1547
- Environmental Health: for general rabies questions
- During regular business hours (Monday - Friday, 8 am - 5 pm): call 301-600-1717, email CommunityServicesOffice@FrederickCountyMD.gov or fax 301-600-3180.
- After hours, weekends, and holidays (The Frederick County Communications Center will contact the on-call Environmental Health supervisor regarding the emergency): call 301-600-0312
- Community Health Services: for questions about human exposure/bites
- During regular business hours (Monday - Friday, 8 am - 5 pm): call 301-600-1733 or fax 301-600-1403
- After hours, weekends, and holidays: call 301-600-0312
Rabies Signs in Animals
Symptoms of Rabid Animals (may exhibit multiple symptoms or have only 1):
- Paralysis
- Foaming at the mouth
- Staggering movements
- Overfriendliness
- Aggressiveness
- Daytime activity in nocturnal animals (e.g. raccoon attacking a dog during the day)
- Drooling
- Seizures
- Death
- Ataxia (loss of muscle control and coordination)
- Disinterest in food or water
- Difficulty waking up
- Signs of depression or self-mutilation
Exposure Instructions
What to do if you think you or your pet has had a possible exposure:
Additional Rabies Information
Maps
Each year, the Frederick County Health Department makes a map showing where animals that tested positive for rabies were found. See below for the most recent maps.
Older maps can be found at the links below: