| Publication: The Frederick News-Post; |
Date: Jan 25, 2009; |
Section: Pets; |
Page: A-12 |
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PETS AND PEOPLE
Who to call when animals attack
By DIANA CLEMENT Special to the News-Post
LAST WEEK a reader asked
that I write about preventing bites involving family pets. That column generated
some questions about how to report an injury to a person involving an animal.
Animal Control officers work out of the
Frederick County Animal Control Center and Shelter on Rosemont Avenue. There are
seven officers and they are available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and for emergencies
after hours. No bankers’ holidays for Animal Control, which is open after 5 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday, on Saturdays and many holidays.
Whenever people are injured and the injury
results from contact with animals, it’s a good idea to report the injury to
Animal Control. The Health Department keeps records of people injured by animals
to control exposure to rabies. Even though rabies deaths in this country are
extremely rare, this is in part because the preventative treatment is very
effective. The pet animals capable of contracting rabies from a wild animal and passing it on to humans are dogs, cats,
ferrets. Most people who keep such pets have them vaccinated for rabies to
eliminate this risk. Maryland requires owners to vaccinate these pets (dogs,
cats, ferrets) to protect people from exposure.
Wild animals considered a risk are foxes,
skunks, raccoons, coyotes and bats. Whenever an injury involves one of these
wild animals, it is common for the health department to recommend trapping the
animal for testing or proceeding with preventative treatment. It’s also possible
for other animals to contract rabies from one of those listed here, but they
rarely pass it on. Anytime a physician treats an animal bite, he or she is
likely to report it just to be sure the patient is notified of the risk of
rabies and the option to receive preventative vaccinations. The Health
Department does recommend preventative vaccines in all cases in which a person
has been sleeping in a room in which a bat is found when the bat escapes. Since
it is possible to be unaware of being bitten by a bat, the safest course of
action is to have the preventative treatment. Of course, if the bat can be captured and euthanized, he can be
tested which would allow the victim to avoid having treatment.
It is necessary to identify and capture
individual wild animals causing the injury for testing. Pet animals,
especially those who are vaccinated, are
unlikely to cause exposure to humans. Just to be safe, they can be observed
carefully for 10 days for any signs of illness which still leaves time for
victims to consider preventative treatment if
necessary.
If a cat or dog is away from its
owners at the time of the injury, Animal Control may be able to locate an owner
through a microchip, collar ID tag, or information from neighbors which can save
the pet’s life as well as eliminate the need for the victim to get rabies
preventative shots. A 10-day observation period is required whether a cat or dog
has had a rabies vaccination or not. The observation period can often be
completed in the pet’s home as long as the
owners agree to keep their pet from escaping or having contact with new people
during that time.
In some cases, small animals
who are unlikely to carry rabies are observed for 30 days, just to be safe. This
group of animals includes hamsters, ferrets and other small pets. Some animals
are so unlikely to pose a risk that no observation is required, such as opossums
or rabbits. Birds are unable to pass on rabies to a person, so a health
observation or quarantine is not necessary if someone is injured by a bird.
When wild animals must be captured for testing,
the rabies test usually comes back negative, meaning the animal was healthy.
This is good news for the victim because he or she will not have to undergo
unnecessary treatment. But often people feel badly that a wild animal must be
killed for this test. Unfortunately there is no blood test, and in the case of
wild animals, a 10-day observation period may not be long enough to determine
the animal’s health. It is also risky and unkind to keep a wild animal confined
for observation. Luckily, the observation
period is acceptable for domesticated animals which are often part of our
families.
One final requirement, which covers
wild animal exposure for pets only, concerns unvaccinated pets who have been
outdoors unsupervised. If they are bitten by a wild animal that cannot be
located, they may have to undergo six months of strict isolation to ensure they
are not infected with rabies. This is only for pets and only for those who are
not up to date on their vaccinations. Keeping a pet in isolation for six months
is quite different from observing his or her health for 10 days and often is a
hardship on pet owners, not to mention on the pet.
Your best course of action is to vaccinate and
properly confine your pets, prevent bites as discussed last week, and report
injuries involving animals to Animal Control for advice. In some cases, even
though risk of disease is eliminated, Animal Control officers can educate pet
owners about proper confinement and training for pets who get involved in
injuries to people so that responsible owners can prevent problems in the
future.