Rabies alert issued after Nobles County calf tests positive

A rare diagnosis of rabies in a Nobles County feedlot calf has four people completing post-exposure treatment.
The rabies-positive bovine is the first to be detected in the state since 2020.
Local veterinarian Erin de Koning said skunks and bats most commonly transmit rabies locally.
“Cattle and horses are curious animals, and they will put their noses down and follow the animal around,” she said. “Then they get exposed or bit.”
Rabies is transmitted through saliva of a rabid animal.
Cattle are not normally vaccinated for rabies.
According to the state Board of Animal Health, a Nobles County calf began acting strangely on April 10 and was straining to defecate.
The veterinarian diagnosed a possible intestinal blockage and relieved the pressure surgically.
Three days later the calf struggled to stand and died that evening.
Necropsy samples were sent to the South Dakota State University diagnostic laboratory, which confirmed rabies on April 15.
The calf was housed in a pen of 28 other feedlot calves with dozens of farm cats present on the premises.
The veterinarian recommended vaccinating the calves and keeping them confined for six months. Cats were also vaccinated and will be quarantined for six months.
The state’s veterinarian recommended that the owner undergo post-exposure treatment for rabies, because there was contact with the calf’s mouth during treatment and no gloves were worn.
The veterinarian treating the calf and two assistants who restrained the calf during surgery also opted for the treatment.
All dogs, cats, ferrets and horses should be current on vaccinations.
If vaccinated animals are exposed, a rabies vaccination booster is recommended within 96 hours.