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Kennewick:
8am to noon
1pm to 5pm
Monday-Friday
Vital Records
Same-day
In-Person
Service (Kennewick office only)
8am to 11:30am
1pm to 4pm
Monday-Friday
Pasco:
8am to noon
1pm to 5pm
Monday-Friday
Prosser Office
Immunizations: Tuesday and Thursday; 9am to Noon and 1pm to 5pm.
Environmental Health: Monday and Thursday; 9am to 10:30am.
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Animal Bites
Animal Bites
Rabies is a rare disease caused by a virus that affects all mammals. It can be carried by any mammal and transmitted by an infected mammal to another through a bite or scratch that breaks the skin or through contact with a mucus membrane. The rabies virus attacks the brain and nervous system, leading to death. Whenever a human is bitten by a mammal that is capable of transmitting the rabies virus, the Health Department is responsible for attempting to have the animal is confined by the owner for a period of ten days after the bite for rabies observation. The only animals that can be confined are dogs, cats and ferrets.
Animals bite for many reasons (protecting their young or territory, if they are hurt, as a result of being tormented) and you should not assume that the animal that bit you has rabies. In Washington State, the risk of contracting rabies from an animal is extremely low. In fact the only mammal in Washington known to carry rabies is the bat. Until recently, there have been no instances of rabies in a cat or dog in over 25 years in the state of Washington. In November of 2002, a cat in Walla Walla County was confirmed to have rabies. The cat was infected by a bat. (For more information about rabies in Washington, click here)
Rabies Observation
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 4205 immediately so 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.
What To Do If You Have Been Bitten
First Aid for a Bite
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 Department.
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 following information is needed for the bite report. Please give us all the information you can about the animal and how the bite occurred.
Bite Report
Victim:
Name and Address
Parent's Name (if under 18 years of age)
Telephone
Age and Weight
Date of Exposure:
Part of Body:
Severity:
A brief description of how the bite occurred:
Owner of Animal:
Name and Address:
Telephone number:
County:
History of Animal:
Breed
Color
Sex
Age
Pet or Stray?
Rabies Vaccine?
Date ___________,
Tag No.___________,
Vet ___________
Is the animal of local origin?
Has the animal been out of
the state in the past 6 months?
Has the animal been in contact with
a wild animal in the past 6 months?
The Benton-Franklin District Health Department 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.
What To Do If Your Pet Bites Someone
If your pet (a dog, cat or ferret) bites someone, call the Benton-Franklin District Health Department at 460 4205 to report the incident. Link to Bite Report information listed above (Click here to view the information needed for a bite report). 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 Department 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 your veterinarian or kennel will not take the animal, you may take it to Tri City Animal Control, 1312 S. 18th, Pasco, WA 99301 (509) 545-3740. Again, 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.
Rabies Vaccine
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.
Safety tips to avoid being bitten by a dog
- 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".
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Benton Franklin Health District