Brookhaven animal shelter offering free rabies vaccines for Suffolk pets

Suffolk residents can soon get their ferrets, cats and dogs free rabies vaccines at a Brookhaven shelter, after several raccoons in the county were found this year to have contracted the deadly viral disease, health officials said.

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services — together with the Town of Brookhaven — is offering the shots at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter on Saturday between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The shots will be given as long as supplies last, officials said. Dogs are required to be on a leash, while ferrets and cats need to be in a carrier, they said.

"Vaccinating pets not only provides protection for the animals but also acts as a barrier to keep the rabies virus from spreading between wild animals and people," according to a statement from officials.

State and county laws mandate each of the three animals receives vaccinations for rabies, which attacks the central nervous system and most commonly infects mammals like bats and foxes, officials said. People generally get the virus from a bite from a rabid animal or exposure to its saliva, officials said. It can be fatal if untreated. 

The vaccination effort comes after at least seven rabid raccoons were discovered this year in Suffolk. The county had last recorded a rabid raccoon in 2009, officials said. Six of those raccoons were found in the Amityville area, while the seventh one was in Deer Park.

Health officials urgepeople take several precautions to avoid exposure to rabies, including not approaching wild animals or stray dogs and cats. They also recommend people keep their pets' vaccinations current.

Newsday's Maureen Mullarkey contributed to this story.

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Newsday. She previously worked at USA TODAY and is an alum of Howard University.