A Procedural Guide For Victims And Animal Owners

IF YOU OR SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU IS BITTEN:

• Isolate the animal from people
• Seek medical treatment
• If it is a stray dog, call the Lucas County Dog Warden immediately, at 255-6119. Try to keep sight of the animal
• If you are a city of Toledo resident, call the Toledo Health Department’s Animal Bite Investigator at 245-1794. If you are unable to contact the Health Dept. or Dog Warden, call the Toledo Police Division.
• If you reside in Lucas County outside the Toledo city limits, call the Lucas County Health Dept. at 213-4100. If you are unable to contact the Health Dept. or Dog Warden, call your local law enforcement agency.

IF YOU OWN THE BITING ANIMAL, YOU SHOULD:

1. Keep the animal on your premises for a quarantine period of ten (10) days following the bite. Keep biting dogs under quarantine even though they have been vaccinated against rabies. county residents will be required to have their dogs seen by a veterinarian.
2. Do not remove or take away the dog during the quarantine period, except if the dog is surrendered to the Lucas County Dog Warden or a veterinarian.
3. Contact the Animal Bite Investigator at 245-1794, so that he can oberve the animal during the quarantine.
4. You will be asked to supply information such a the breed of the dog, sex, rabies vaccination status, and the name of your pet.
5. You will be notified when the dog is no longer in quarantine. All this takes place on your property or premises.
6. Owners of biting dogs can expect to be visited by representatives of the Lucas County Dog Warden’s Office, and the Toledo Police Division or their local law enforcement agency.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Feel free to call animal bite investigators at either the Toledo or Lucas County Health Departments. Some numbers for your use:

TOLEDO HEALTH DEPARTMENT:

• OFFICE-245-1736
• INVESTIGATOR 245-1794

LUCAS COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT:

• 245-4100

LUCAS COUNTY DOG WARDEN (DOG POUND):

• 255-6119

TOLEDO HUMANE SOCIETY:

• 891-0705

*AFTER WORKING HOURS AND ON WEEKENDS, CALL YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.


QUARANTINE MEANS:

For the purpose of owners of biting pets, quarantine means keeping the pet confined to the owner’s premises for at least ten (10) days. Owners should not allow the pet to come in contact with anyone other than the immediate family members during the quarantine period.

You must confine your pet to your fenced-in yard, or restrain it on a suitable leash, to keep the animal away from other persons. It is not necessary, however, to confine the biting pet indoors or in a cage.

The dog also may be quarantined at a veterinarian’s office, or at an approved pound or kennel. It is imperative that the health departments (Toledo and Lucas County) be advised if the animal is placed anywhere other than home.

You may, if you choose, surrender a biting dog to the Lucas County Dog Warden’s office at 410 S. Erie st. In the case of dogs released to the Lucas County Dog Warden for quarantine, you must realize that these animals will not be returned to their owners, even if they are found to not carry rabies. These pets will be euthanized when the quarantine period is over.

State law requires that owners of biting animals observe the steps outlined herein:

• Failure by the owners of biting pets to respond to the quarantine notice can result in criminal prosecution.
• No dog or cat in Toledo or Lucas county shall be released from quarantine until it has been vaccinated against rabies. Do not release or destroy the animal during, or at the end of the quarantine period, until it is seen by your health dept. representative, or by a veterinarian of your choice if you are a Lucas County resident outside of Toledo. County residents must return a signed Statement of Health, and acknowledgment that rabies immunization was given, to the Lucas County Health Department.
• The biting pet is not to be removed from the property.

OTHER ANIMAL BITES

People bitten by an animal other than a dog or cat should notify either the city or county health dept. immediately. Skunks, raccoons, foxes, ferrets, and bats can harbor rabies. Persons bitten by any of these creatures should immediately notify the health dept. so that plans can be made to test for the presence of rabies. A Post Exposure Prophylaxis (Anti-Rabies) vaccine will be considered, if necessary.

The health departments will provide consultation to victims in the case of bites from other wild animals such as squirrels, chipmunks, gerbils, hamsters, rats, and mice. Rabies is rarely found in these species.