Forsyth County’s second case of rabies in 2013 has been confirmed.

According to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, a fox tested positive for the virus after getting in a scuffle with two pet dogs Tuesday near Chamblee Gap and Kelly Mill roads.

The owner killed the fox, according to the sheriff’s office, and took the wild animal and two dogs to a veterinarian. The dogs were revaccinated.

The case is the second confirmed in the county this year. In 2012, there were two cases, one each in a raccoon and fox.

The first case of 2013 was reported in mid-March when a bat tested positive for rabies.

The bat had been found by pet dogs in the back yard of a home off Hwy. 20 in east Forsyth.

Domestic animals are required to be vaccinated in Georgia, and the sheriff’s office reminds pet owners to make sure rabies shots are current.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rabies is a virus that infects the central nervous system, causing disease in the brain and eventually death.

Rabies affects only mammals and is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal, including raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats.

The best defense, officials say, is an annual rabies vaccination.

Authorities also remind residents to use caution when approaching wild or stray animals, particularly those acting oddly or aggressively.