{"id":363862,"date":"2026-07-07T11:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T11:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/363862\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T11:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T11:43:07","slug":"san-antonio-area-pet-owners-urged-to-vaccinate-animals-amid-rabies-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/363862\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio area pet owners urged to vaccinate animals amid rabies season"},"content":{"rendered":"

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas \u2013 Bexar County is in a \u201chot zone\u201d for rabies cases in Texas this year, according to a map from the Texas Department of State Health Services.<\/a><\/p>\n

Texas Department of State Health Services. (Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Bexar County\u2019s rabies cases have risen over the past three years. <\/p>\n

There were 12 cases in 2024, 22 in 2025, and 29 confirmed cases so far this year, a Texas Parks and Wildlife official told the Hollywood Park City Council in June.<\/p>\n

Concern is heightened after an incident in late May in Hollywood Park, where police reported a child was bitten by a rabid fox while playing outside his home. <\/p>\n

The Hollywood Park Police Department said officers arrived and the fox charged at them. Animal Control Officers put the fox down and sent it for rabies testing. The boy had injuries and was taken to a clinic, but he was in \u201cgood health\u201d. <\/p>\n

Bexar County Public Health Director Andrea Guerrero is urging residents to stay alert around wildlife, keep pets vaccinated and report stray animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cVaccination is the strongest tool against rabies infections,\u201d Guerrero said. <\/p>\n

Guerrero added that public health officials monitor the entire county with animal control officers and partnerships with other agencies, relying on community reports to identify potentially infected animals.<\/p>\n

How to spot a possibly rabid animal<\/p>\n

Health officials say signs can include:<\/p>\n

Unusual or aggressive behavior<\/p>\n

Nocturnal animals out during the day<\/p>\n

Neurological symptoms\u00a0such as\u00a0drooling,\u00a0stumbling or disorientation<\/p>\n

Animals most likely to carry rabies include bats, skunks, coyotes, and foxes.<\/p>\n

At a North Side park, visitors told KSAT they appreciate the reminder to stay vigilant. <\/p>\n

One park visitor, Michelle Hansen, said she\u2019d heard about rabies-positive foxes turning up in San Antonio. <\/p>\n

Dog owner Trevor McCulley emphasized prevention: vaccinate pets, keep dogs under control and don\u2019t bring animals into public spaces if you can\u2019t manage them.<\/p>\n

If an animal happens to bite you, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.<\/p>\n

To report suspicious wildlife or animals:<\/p>\n

City of San Antonio:\u00a0Call\u00a0311<\/p>\n

Bexar County (outside city limits):\u00a0Call\u00a0210-335-9000<\/p>\n

The rabies \u201chot zone\u201d on the state map also includes areas near New Braunfels in Comal County and Guadalupe County, underscoring the need for awareness across the region.<\/p>\n

Read also:<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BEXAR COUNTY, Texas \u2013 Bexar County is in a \u201chot zone\u201d for rabies cases in Texas this year,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363863,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[698,584,13867,6052,82,84,83,3746],"class_list":["post-363862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-bexar-county","tag-health","tag-hollywood-park","tag-rabies","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-tpwd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}