Health

If you got cozy with a woodchuck in Dartmouth last weekend, get checked out, officials say

Dartmouth's Board of Health is warning of a potentially rabid woodchuck that was at John George Ice Cream on Sunday.

A photo of a woodchuck taken in 2022. Courtesy of Bill Byrne/MassWildlife

By Melissa Ellin

1 minute to read

A woodchuck that turned up at John George Ice Cream in Dartmouth around 5 p.m. on Sunday may have posed a health risk, the Board of Health warns.

They’re asking that anyone who had direct contact with the animal get checked out by a health care professional for a rabies exposure risk assessment.

The department says that woodchucks are known to be high-risk for rabies transmission, and that even healthy looking woodchucks might have the disease in their saliva. People who are directly bitten, scratched, or who somehow get the saliva in an open wound, the eyes, the nose, or the mouth, are at risk of rabies contraction. 

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However, there is a treatment for rabies that, if applied promptly, can prevent the disease. In addition to a health care provider, people can also contact the Massachusetts Department of Public Health directly at 617-983-6800.

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