Environmental Health

Animal Bites

The Wood County Health Department is required to investigate bites for all reported dog, cat, ferret, or any other animal that is commonly known to transmit rabies. The animal’s owner will be notified of quarantine requirements. After quarantine, a veterinarian must examine the animal to determine good health and update its rabies vaccination.

If the bite involves a wild or stray animal, the animal may be euthanized and inspected by the Ohio Department of Health for rabies.

To report a bite, complete the Animal Bite Reporting Form.

In the United States, more than 90% of reported cases of rabies in animals occur in wildlife. The wild animals that most commonly carry rabies in the United States are raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. Contact with infected bats is the leading cause of human rabies deaths in this country; at least seven out of ten Americans who die from rabies in the U.S. were infected by bats. People may not recognize a bat scratch or bite, which can be very small, but these types of contact can still spread rabies.

Pets (like cats and dogs) and livestock (like cattle and horses) can also get rabies. Nearly all the pets and livestock that get rabies had not received vaccination or were not up to date on rabies vaccination. Most pets get rabies from having contact with wildlife.

For additional information on rabies, click on these resources: