Animal Bites & Exposures

Animal/Pet Exposures:

1. Wash the wound(s) thoroughly with warm soapy water and contact your doctor or veterinarian.
2. Make note of the location of the incident and provide as many details possible of the animal (ex: species, breed, size, if the animal had a collar).
3. Call the local HPHD EH office and the local animal control office.

Human Exposures:

• All exposures, including animal bites or scratches, involving humans should be reported to Environmental Health and Animal Control in the jurisdiction in which the incident took place.
• Exposure of domestic animals to wild animals should also be reported. Wild animals that have exposed a person or pet must be euthanized and tested for rabies; if the animal is not available for testing, it must be considered rabid.

To report potential animal exposures or animal bites, contact the local Sheriffs office and ask for the Animal Control Officer on duty.  In addition, please report the exposure to the local Environmental Health office in the locality where the bit occurred.  

If you are bitten or exposed to a potentially rabid animal, please do not attempt to contain the animal yourself unless you are able to do it safely. If you are able to safely contain the animal, please do so, then contact the local animal control officer for further instructions.

If you are seen by a healthcare provider regarding an animal bite/exposure, the healthcare provider is required by code to report the animal bite to the local health department.