Animal Bite Information/Reporting

Animal Bite Reporting is required by law (OAR 333-019-0024) for the purpose of assessing the risk of rabies exposure in a person bitten or otherwise exposed to animal saliva.

Anyone with knowledge of a bite should report its occurrence immediately. Formal bite notifications are made by hospital ED’s, Urgent Care clinics, and doctor’s offices usually via a faxed form.

Polk County Oregon Online Animal Bite Report Form 

***** CONFINEMENT OF DOG – CAT – FERRET after bite *****

To avoid needless euthanasia of pets — and to minimize the considerable expense of animal testing — confinement and observation (sometimes misleadingly referred to as “quarantine”) is the preferred follow-up for dogs, cats and ferrets that have bitten people. Such animals should never be euthanized if they can be held under observation, preferably at the owner’s expense. Without the approval of local health officials, veterinarians and others are prohibited by law from euthanizing any mammal that has bitten a human without public health authorization (OAR 333-019-0024 and -0027). If a dog, cat, or ferret was rabid and infectious at the time of biting, it would die from the disease within 10 days. So, if the animal is alive after 10 days, it was not rabid at the time of the bite. Should an animal that has been confined following a bite develop any signs of CNS disease, it should be euthanized immediately, and the head submitted for testing. Such symptoms include: hind leg paralysis, aimless movement, seizures, unusual voice sounds, blindness, inability to swallow, and persistent dilation of pupils.

Further information regarding animal bites can be found by visiting the following:

Polk County Public Health 

Oregon Health Authority  

Resources for Dog Bite Prevention

AVMA - Resources 

ASPCA - Resources