The health department has confirmed to WDBJ7 that a fox that bit a Ferrum man Sunday was rabid.
Ricky Steen was walking his dog Sunday on Waidsboro Road in Franklin County when it happened.
After the fox sunk its teeth into his leg, Steen grabbed his gun and killed the animal.
The health department says it was in the Mullins Trailer Court on Wednesday going door to door warning residents of the exposure.
The health department says the best way to protect yourself is to avoid stray animals and keep your pets vaccinated.
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Original story from January 28
"He sounded like 'ERRRRRR, ERRRR,' before he grabbed my leg," remembers Ricky Steen.
Steen is recounting the moments before his attack.
He was walking his dog just outside his home Sunday morning on Waidsboro Road, when it happened.
"I felt something bite and I had a fox clamped to it and it bit 2-chunks out of me! It had both back legs clamped around my ankle, below my knee cap on the front ones and bit me right there," says Steen.
He managed to kick the fox off.
And, it eventually took cover under a porch.
Steen shot the animal before it could attack again.
"That's the second fox I've seen in my lifetime and I've never had an animal came out in broad daylight light that and try to attack me, that's why I figured it was rabies."
Health officials agree.
That's why Steen is being treated for rabies.
But, even though the fox is dead, he's worried it may have infected some of the many animals here in the Mullins Trailer Court including feral and unvaccinated cats.
To learn more about rabies and how to keep your family safe, click here.
