Rabies: What to Do If You are Bit

If you are bitten by a stray cat, or dog, or even your own pet, there are some things you need to be aware of in concerns with rabies. Be aware that only bites that involve puncturing the skin are ones you need to be concerned with.

First of all try to find any history on the animal. If it is your pet you should know its rabies vaccination history. If you are unsure, call your veterinarian who will have kept all this information on file. They will now if your pet is up-to-date on his, or her, rabies shots. If the pet is not yours you must try to find the owner. Ask in your neighborhood who the pet belongs too. Contact your local animal shelter and see if anyone has left a “Lost Pet” report on that animal, if so you can get the vaccination records from them, and reunite the pet to its owner in the process. If you cannot determine who owns the pet (and therefor cannot find its rabies vaccination history) the animal needs to be caught.

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If you are unsure about catching the pet yourself, the animal shelter will direct you to the best course of action. In some cases they may come out and try to catch it, but some shelters to not have the manpower to do this. Some shelters will rent out traps, or the area may have a by-law enforcement agency that catches stray animals when they are reported as such.

It is very important that the animal be caught. Once it is caught it is typically placed on a 10 day Rabies Hold. The animal is monitored during this time, and if it dies at any point, its head is removed and sent for testing, and you will be instructed to get medial attention for rabies. If after 10 days the animal is still alive, it did not have rabies.

While the pets are on hold, they are fed, and watered, but otherwise left in their special cage or kennel. Obviously this is for the safety of the staff, because although a pet might look friendly, rabies infected animals are highly unpredictable, and no chances should be taken. Owners may be allowed to visit their pets through the bars only, and will get their pet back when the hold is over, usually free of charge. This is not to say that the owner will not be fined for having an animal loose or for it biting somebody, or that a person will not be charged for not having the pet vaccinated. If it bites a family member, charges are typically not laid.