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PUEBLO, COLO. -- Another skunk tested positive for rabies in Pueblo, this time in the Belmont neighborhood.

"An apartment manager contacted animal control because there was a skunk in a courtyard wandering around, acting kind of drunk," Vicki Carlton, a Program Manager at the Pueblo City-County Health Department, said.  "The skunk was picked up and sent out for testing and did come back positive for rabies."

This is a separate area from where the first rabid skunk was found this fall.

"Pueblo county has not had skunk rabies in its entire history," Carlton said.  "So this is the first time we've seen it here.  What we've seen across the U.S. is skunk rabies has been heading west for some time, we have seen instances in Colorado Springs, in La Junta and other places.  We hadn't seen it in Pueblo County, but we knew it was migrating this way.  And now I think the county can expect to see skunk rabies from now on, it will probably not leave the area, just like bat rabies."

Infected skunks can pass the disease on to other animals or people through their saliva.

Pueblo County Public Health Director Chris Nevin-Woods, D.O., said there are several scenarios where families could be faced with a deadly disease.

"Let's say my dog happened to find a skunk, the skunk had rabies, and I had forgotten to check whether the dog was current on its rabies vaccine," Nevin-Wood said.  "Say it's not up to date, the dog gets bit, comes home and suddenly gets aggressive.  Now everyone in the home is at risk for getting rabies, and rabies is life-threatening.  It's fatal unless you get treatment right away."

People are at risk because there's no way to vaccinate against the disease.

"Say a little boy is out playing and he sees a skunk on the trail," Nevin-Wood said.  "He goes up to it, gets a little nip on the ankle, kicks the skunk away, goes home and forgets to tell Mom he got a little nip.  That's another scary situation for fatal rabies."

That's why health officials are warning residents to stay away from wild animals, especially bats, skunks and foxes who are out during the day.

"Skunks hunt at night, so for a skunk to be out during the day, that's unusual, you should contact animal control and tell them you've seen a skunk out in the daytime," Carlton said.  "If you see a fox and you see it coming toward you like it wants to be petted, or acting aggressively, that's unusual because foxes usually will run away from people."

She said the best way to keep your pets safe is to keep them on a leash and get them vaccinated.

"If you're on a trail and you're dog's not on a leash and sees a skunk, it's probably going to go after it," Carlton said.  "So keep them on a leash.  And if an animal is not vaccinated, there's only two options if they get infected: euthanize them or put them in a strict quarantine for 90 days.  That's very expensive wheres a rabies vaccination is very inexpensive."

Puppies need to be re-vaccinated after a year; after that, the vaccine is usually good  for three years. Carlton said pet owners can usually tell if their pets have been bitten by a rabid animal.

"Generally, if a dog has been injured you'll find bites on them, they may be more timid or acting different than normal if they've been in a fight with a wild animal," Carlton said. 

If you see any wildlife acting strange or odd in the city, call Pueblo Animal Services at 719-544-3005.

If you've been bitten by a wild or possibly rabid animal, see you doctor or get to the nearest emergency room immediately.