We Have Enough Going On in LA — Now Rabies?
Because apparently Los Angeles did not already have enough on its plate. Now county health officials are dealing with the first rabies-positive raccoon detected here in more than 50 years — after the animal turned up in a Westlake Village backyard and came into contact with a family dog.
The good news: the dog was already up to date on its rabies vaccine, has been quarantined and, according to CBS Los Angeles, is doing well. The much less comforting part is everything around it.
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Rabies Returns to the LA Conversation
A rabies-positive raccoon in Westlake Village has LA County health officials warning pet owners to keep vaccinations current and avoid contact with wildlife.
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According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the raccoon was found in the backyard of a home and appeared sick, though it was not behaving aggressively toward people. That matters because rabies does not always announce itself with the movie-version foaming mouth or an animal charging straight at you. Strange behavior in wildlife is enough reason to keep your distance and call animal control.
The detection is especially unusual for LA County because bats are normally the main local source of rabies. In fact, 2026 has already become a record year: county data show 70 rabid bats detected so far, topping the previous record of 69 set last year. The last rabies-positive non-bat animal reported in the county was a skunk in Long Beach in 2014.
And yes, the timing is particularly lousy. The CBS report points out that Southern California’s intense heat can push wildlife to move farther in search of water and food, which means animals that normally keep their distance may wind up closer to homes, yards and pets.
Health officials are asking residents to make their properties less inviting to wild animals: do not leave pet food outside, keep brush and overgrowth under control, and avoid approaching wildlife that appears sick or is acting strangely. One infectious-disease specialist interviewed by CBS also suggested turning on outdoor lights before letting pets into the yard at night, giving nocturnal animals a chance to move away first.
Most importantly, check those vaccination records. County officials are stressing rabies vaccination even for pets that spend most of their lives indoors, because it only takes one unexpected encounter in a backyard, patio or house to create a potentially serious exposure.
Rabies is preventable with vaccination, but once an infected animal begins showing clinical symptoms, the disease is effectively fatal. That is exactly why the vaccinated Westlake Village dog matters in this story: prevention was already in place before the exposure happened.
So yes: record rabid bats, a brutal heat wave pushing wildlife around, and now LA County’s first rabies-positive raccoon since the 1970s. Keep the pets vaccinated, keep the food bowls inside and maybe give the backyard a quick look before letting everybody out after dark.
Watch CBS Los Angeles Report on the Westlake Village Rabies Case
Hunter Sowards reports on the rabies-positive raccoon, the exposed dog and LA County health officials’ warning to pet owners.
Sources: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; CBS Los Angeles. Images: CBS Los Angeles video / YouTube.
