The animal (a dog, cat or ferret) must be kept by the owner on a leash or in a tightly fenced yard for a ten day period after the bite. It is very important that the animal be kept ALIVE for this ten day period.
The purpose of confining the animal is to make sure that the animal does not have rabies. Rabies is infectious in the last stages of the disease. If the animal (a dog, cat, or ferret) does have rabies, it will not live for more than 10 days. Therefore, if the animal is alive and healthy at the end of the ten day period, we are assured that the animal did not have rabies. All other animals, including wolf hybrids or wildcats, must be sacrificed for testing to protect the health of the human that was bitten. Unfortunately, the rabies incubation period is only known for dogs, cats, and ferrets.
If the animal dies within the 10 day period or rabies symptoms develop (i.e. inability to swallow, protruding tongue, or marked changes in the animal's disposition) the owner should notify the Benton Franklin District Health Department by calling 460 4200 immediatelyso that we can arrange testing of the animal. The animal must be tested for rabies to allow the victim to make the best decision about their health care choices.
Immediately after you are bitten or scratched, gently wash the wound with soap and water for at least 10 minutes. Simply washing the wound is very important to minimize your risk of contacting rabies. After you have washed the wound, seek medical attention as soon as possible. If the wound is severe, go directly to the emergency department of your local medical center. If possible, locate the owner of the animal and get their name, address and telephone number.
Although the wound may not seem to warrant medical attention, you still should contact your medical provider as you may need to get a tetanus shot or a booster. At the medical facility you will be asked to fill out a bite report, which will be forwarded to the Health District.
If you choose not seek medical attention, please call the Health District at 460-4205 and ask to fill out a bite report. Please do not attempt to download and mail the bite report. It is best to call in the report right away so that we can notify the owner of the animal of the observation period immediately. The report form can be used as a guide to the information you will be requested to provide over the phone. Bite Report Form
District Response
The Benton-Franklin Health District will contact the owner of the dog, cat or ferret and ask that it be kept alive and impounded for a period of 10 days for rabies surveillance. Once the 10 day period has ended, we will contact the owner regarding the status of the animal. If the animal is alive and healthy, this will end the Health Department's involvement with the owner and the animal. At this point the animal will no longer need to be kept impounded.
If more than 10 days have past since the bite and you have not heard from the Health District, you can safely assume that the animal survived the 10 day observation period and there is no risk of rabies. You will only be contacted if you need to seek additional medical treatment or if the animal could not be located for impounding.
If you are bitten by a wild animal, you will still need to fill out and submit a bite report to the Health District. If you are able to safely capture the animal that bit you, please do so in order that it may be tested. Someone from our office will be in touch with you regarding testing of the animal. You will more than likely be advised to seek medical attention for the bite and to discuss with your doctor the options available to you. If you or your medical provider would like to speak to us or the State Epidemiologist Lab for more rabies information, please give us a call and we will refer you to the proper person.
If your pet bites someone, call the Benton-Franklin District Health District at 509.460.4200 to report the incident. It is better to call in the information than to mail in the report because of the timeliness of confining your animal. The victim will be asked to fill out the same report when they seek medical treatment. If the victim filled out the report, you will be contacted by the Health District and asked for additional information about the animal (as indicated on the bite report). Most importantly, you will be asked to confine your animal for a 10 day observation period. This means keeping the animal on a leash or in a tightly fenced yard for a ten day period after the bite
It is extremely important that the animal be kept ALIVE during this 10 day observation period. If the animal dies or is put down, it will need to be tested in order to protect the victim from the possibility of contracting rabies. While the risk is very low, rabies is a fatal disease for which there is no cure. If you, as the animal owner, are unable or unwilling to keep the animal alive for the 10 day surveillance period, you may take the animal to a veterinarian, kennel, or animal shelter and kennel the animal for the 10 day period. There will be a charge to you for kenneling the animal.
If the animal bit because it was already sick or injured and will not survive the 10-day observation period, please make arrangements with a veterinarian to put the animal down and contact us at the Health District to make arrangements for testing the animal. Do not attempt to put the animal down yourself as this may render the animal unable to be tested.
If your pet is an animal other than a dog, cat or ferret, it will need to be sacrificed for testing. Because the incubation period for rabies in animals other than dogs, cats, or ferrets is not known, we cannot safely confine the animal and be able to recommend treatment in a timely fashion to the victim. Treatment for rabies in a victim is only effective if given before symptoms show up. Once symptoms occur, it is too late for the victim and the result is death.
A vaccine for rabies is available for human victims. It is no longer a long set of pain shots in the abdomen. Today's rabies vaccine is a 5 shot series given in the arm over a 28 day period. (click here for more information about the human rabies vaccine).
If your pet has been bitten by a wild animal, it is recommended that you contact your veterinarian about getting a rabies vaccination, or a booster if your pet has already been vaccinated.
- Don't run past a dog. A dog's natural instinct is to chase
- Don't approach a strange dog
- Let a dog see and sniff you before you pet it
- Keep your dog confined. Chaining your dog is not recommended
- Spay or neuter your pet. Unaltered pets are more likely to bite
- Obedience train your dog. Obedience training will make a happy dog and a happy owner
- Scold your dog when it is aggressive. Tell it in no uncertain terms "NO"