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Animalborne
Disease > Animal
Bites
Last
Updated
Friday, August 29, 2008 3:56 PM
| Animal
Bite Report |
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Rabies
Compendium -
FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
AND VETERINARIANS |
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Animal
Bites in Washington: A Quick
History
In
Washington State, the chance
of getting rabies from a cat
or dog bite is very low. However,
if a bat or other wild animal
bites you, the chance is slightly
higher. The last case of rabies
found in dogs in Washington
State was in 1977 and the
last case of rabies in cats
was in 2002. Bats are the
main carrier or rabies in
Washington State; approximately
ten-percent of all bats in
Washington carry rabies.
Rabies
Symptoms
Rabies
symptoms in animals include
the following:
- Behavior
change
- Excessive
drooling or sometimes foaming
in the mouth
- Difficulty
swallowing
- Loss
of coordination or paralysis
- Drooping
of the lower jaw
- Unusually
aggressive or vicious behavior
or unusual lethargy
If
your animal has bitten a human
or other animal and displays
these symptoms, immediately
contact (509) 249-6550 during
business hours or (509) 575-4040,
prompt #1 after hours.
So
You've Been Bitten. What Next?
Step
1. See Your Health Care Provider
It is important to see
your health care provider
after being bitten by any
animal for two reasons. First,
you need to keep the wound
from getting infected by having
it properly cleaned and dressed
by your health care provider.
Second, you need to make sure
that your tetanus shots are
up-to-date. This is another
way to prevent infection.
If you were born in the United
States, you likely had these
shots when you were young;
however, as an adult, you
need a booster shot every
10 years.
Step
2. Fill Out an Animal
Bite Report
The Animal Bite Report
is the MOST IMPORTANT piece
of information that you can
provide to local public health
officials when an animal bites
you. Without an Animal Bite
Report, Yakima Health District
has no way to contact the
owner of the animal or conduct
an investigation. It is important
that you fill this form out
as completely as possible.
If you don't know the owner,
please provide where the bite
occurred and as complete a
description of the animal
as possible. If you believe
the animal was a stray, Yakima
Health District can put you
in touch with animal control
so that they may search for
the animal.
What
Do We Do With the Animals?
Many
people are afraid to tell
anyone that their pet bit
them because they don't want
anything to happen to the
animal. Don't worry...the
standard procedure when a
dog or cat bites is to quarantine
the animal for ten days.
The
word quarantine means to keep
in a contained location in
order to watch for signs of
disease. In the case of an
animal that bit a person,
we are watching for signs
of rabies. An animal can be
quarantined in a pen, in a
basement, tied up in the backyard,
etc. The only requirement
is that it stays away from
all humans and animals except
for its primary caretaker
for TEN DAYS. If the animal
were not quarantined and developed
rabies, we may not diagnose
the rabies soon enough to
get the victim medical care.
Once rabies symptoms develop
in humans, the disease is
fatal.
In
the rare case that an animal
dies during the quarantine
period, we will test the animal
to rule out rabies as the
cause of death.
How
Do I Test an Animal That Didn't
Bite?
If
your animal had neurological
symptoms and abnormal behavior
before it died and you are
interested in ruling out Rabies
as the cause of death, you
can choose to send the animal
to The Oregon State University
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
in Corvallis, Oregon for testing.
Please
call 541-737-3261 for information
about how to ship the specimen
and what is and is not testable.
The fee for non-Oregon residents
is $91.00 ($75 testing fee,
$4 assession fee, $12 handling
fee).. They require payment
to be mailed with the specimen.
Please
visit the Veterinary
Diagnostic Laboratory website
for additional information.
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