TIVERTON, R.I. — Rhode Island health officials say anyone who had contact with a calf kept near a popular ice cream parlor should contact health officials because it may have had rabies.

The department said Thursday the calf named Oreo bit a Massachusetts resident July 15. The animal was quarantined the next day and was found dead Sunday.

Local animal officials did not notify the state for three days, and by that time the remains were too decomposed to test for rabies.

The calf lived in a pasture next to Gray's Ice Cream in Tiverton. Officials say that anyone who had contact with the animal since July 5 should notify the health department in their state.

Rabies is typically transmitted through a bite but can also be spread through saliva.