Animal Bites and Rabies
Rabies Prevention
Whenever a person is bitten by a dog or other mammal, Ohio Law requires that the bite be reported to the local health department within 24 hours. Upon receipt of an animal bite report involving a dog, cat or ferret, a sanitarian will issue a 10-day quarantine notice to the owner of the biting animal. During the quarantine period, the health department will verify that the animal is currently vaccinated against rabies. At the end of the 10-day quarantine period, the sanitarian will return to examine the animal for any symptoms associated with rabies. If the animal is in good health and is currently vaccinated against rabies, the animal is released from quarantine. If the animal’s rabies vaccination is not up to date, the quarantine period is extended until the animal is vaccinated. (The vaccination must be given more than 10 days after the bite).
If the biting animal gets sick or dies prior to the end of the 10-day quarantine period, the head should be submitted to the Ohio Department of Health Lab for rabies testing. Any stray animal involved in a bite incident may also be killed and its head submitted for testing.