Rabies and Animal Bites

The Bullitt County Health Department investigates animal bite incidents to control rabies and prevent human infection in our community. Health environmentalists facilitate observational quarantine periods and releases to verify animals are alive and well, without signs or symptoms of rabies. Individuals exposed to wild or stray animals are given a risk assessment for rabies and recommended post-exposure treatment when appropriate.

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What is Rabies?

Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal and affecting the central nervous system of mammals, including humans.
Any mammal – including pets- can get rabies, but people usually get the viral disease by being bitten by a rabid animal.
If the saliva of a rabid animal gets into a person’s eyes, nose, mouth or wound, infection can occur.
The disease is most common in wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. Dogs, cats, and cattle are the most frequently reported domestic animals for rabies in the United States.
How rabies symptoms may appear in animals:
- A change in behavior
- General sickness
- Problems swallowing
- Increased drooling
- Aggression
- Loss of muscle coordination

Handling of Animals for Rabies Testing

Rabies testing requires fresh, undamaged brain tissue to provide reliable results. It is best to have the animal in question medically euthanized, so the head and brain are not damaged. Contact your veterinarian or local animal control personnel for information.

Rabies Prevention

How to avoid rabies exposure:

Do not approach or touch any wildlife
Do not feed wildlife or leave pet food outside
Secure trash cans and dumpsters to prevent attracting wildlife
Call your local animal control agency to remove any stray animals from your neighborhood

How to prevent rabies in pets:

Keep vaccinations up to date for all dogs, cats, and ferrets. All dogs, cats, and ferrets must be vaccinated against rabies by 4 months of age. Rabies vaccinations are typically good for 1 or 3 years.
Keep your pets under direct supervision, so they do not come in contact with wild animals.
Spay or neuter your pets to help reduce the number of surrendered pets that may not be properly cared for or regularly vaccinated.

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What to do if bitten or scratched by a wild or domestic animal

Wash the wound immediately with soap and water for at least 10 minutes
Contact a medical professional
Provide a description of the animal and, if possible, safely confine the animal so it can be quarantined or tested
Contact the environmental department (502-955-7867) to assess your risk for rabies
Quarantine your pet if it has come into contact with a wild animal or bitten you/someone else.

How Does the Health Department Investigate Animal Bites?

If a person was bitten by a domestic animal, the Bullitt County Health Department will work with the owner to enforce a quarantine period, generally 10 days. Animals may be quarantined at home in most cases, or at local animal shelters depending upon the situation.

Quarantining involves keeping the animal on a leash when taking it outside and keeping the animal away from other people (anyone not living in the household and other animals). The quarantine period is a precaution against the remote possibility that an animal may appear healthy but actually is developing rabies.

A health environmentalist will observe the animal at the beginning of the quarantine period. At the end of the quarantine, the animal is observed a second time for signs of unusual behavior. If the animal appears healthy at the end of the 10 days, it will be released from quarantine.

Until an animal is released from quarantine, an owner cannot give the animal away, kill the animal, relocate the animal, or have the animal vaccinated.