PUEBLO, COLO. -- A second skunk to test positive for rabies in 2011 turned up in Pueblo.

Pueblo City-County Health Department officials said the skunk tested positive in the area between 20th and 20th 1/2 Lane in the city.

Officials said the chances of a pet's survival after being exposed to rabies is small. Unvaccinated pets and livestock have a high chance of getting it if they come in contact with an infected animal. Pets can also bring the fatal disease into the home and be a danger to family and friends.

“It is important for pet owners to protect their pets from rabies with a rabies vaccine. Look at your pet’s tag or medical papers and make sure they have their current rabies vaccine,” Dr. Christine Nevin-Woods, the Public Health Director at the Pueblo City-County Health Department, said in a statement. “Skunks, that may have rabies, can be found near houses and interacting with people and pets.”

Health officials said anyone who sees an animal behaving abnormally, such as stumbling and acting overly aggressive, should contact Pueblo Animal Services.

They said rabies is most commonly found in bats but can be found in other wild animals such as skunks, foxes or raccoons.

“Leaving pet food outside will attract wildlife," Nevin-Woods said in the statement. "Please keep your pet food away and make it inaccessible to wildlife."  

This is the second rabid skunk of 2011 in the city. There were four rabid skunks found in Pueblo in 2010.

Two people also left a rabid bat at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in August.

Here are some rabies prevention tips from the health department:

- Ensure that dogs, cats and ferrets are vaccinated properly against rabies by a licensed veterinarian.

- Discuss vaccinating horses and other livestock with your veterinarian. If you believe your animal has been exposed to rabies, or possibly bitten by a rabid animal, immediately contact your veterinarian.

- Do not feed wild animals or allow your pets around them. Teach children to stay away from wild mammals. Do not keep pet food outside as that may attract wild animals.

- Protect all pets, particularly animals too young to be vaccinated, from contact with wild animals. Puppies and kittens should be vaccinated for rabies as early as three months old.

- Contact your veterinarian if your dog or cat is bitten or scratched by wild animals, such as skunks, bats, foxes or raccoons.

- If you or a family member has been bitten by a wild animal or a domestic animal, contact your physician and Pueblo Animal Services at 719-544-3005 immediately.