Part 1 of this 2-part series covered the reasons we have rabies laws. This article briefly summarizes North Carolina rabies regulations and describes what to do if you find a bat in the house, your pet is bitten, or your pet has had contact with a wild animal.
 
This article includes changes to NC rabies regulations that go into effect on October 1, 2017, and recommendations from Jose Pena, epidemiology specialist with Mecklenburg County Public Health (via telephone interview).
 
North Carolina rabies regulations
1. Dogs, cats, and ferrets over 4 months of age must be vaccinated against rabies. The earliest the vaccine can be given is 3 months (12 weeks) of age.
 
2. Dogs and cats receive a rabies booster vaccine 1 year after the first vaccine and every 3 years thereafter, if the vaccine is licensed for 3-year use. (Mallard Creek Animal Hospital uses a nonadjuvanted vaccine with a 1-year license for most cats.)
 
3. Dogs and cats are considered immunized 28 days after the first rabies vaccine.
 
4. If a pet bites a person, the bite must be reported to Animal Control and the pet must be quarantined for 10 days. Animal Control decides the quarantine location. Animals with a current rabies vaccination and no bite history may be quarantined at the owner's home. Animals with an expired or no rabies vaccination or (in some cases) a history of biting or scratching are quarantined at a shelter or veterinary facility.
 
5. All potential exposures should be reported to Animal Control. The local health director determines whether rabies exposure is likely.
 
Exposure to rabies doesn’t necessarily mean a bite wound. Any type of contact with a wild animal, especially rabies vector species like bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes, can constitute exposure. Unvaccinated cats and dogs can also carry rabies. The presence of a bat in the house is usually considered exposure because bat bites are hard to see and it’s often impossible to know how long the bat has been indoors.
 
6. If a dog, cat, or ferret is exposed to rabies:

• The animal must receive a rabies booster vaccine within 96 hours of the exposure. The only exceptions are animals too young to receive the vaccine and those that are euthanized.
• Animals with a current rabies vaccine:
  • Report exposure to Animal Control.
  • Administer rabies booster within 96 hours.
  • No quarantine is needed.
• Animals with an expired rabies vaccine:
  • Report exposure to Animal Control.
  • Administer rabies booster within 96 hours.
  • A 45-day home quarantine may be allowed at the health director’s discretion.
• Animals with no previous rabies vaccine or first vaccination fewer than 28 days before exposure:
  • Report exposure to Animal Control.
  • Option 1 is euthanasia.
  • Option 2, at the health director’s discretion and if the owner chooses, is a 6-month quarantine at a veterinary facility (not at owner’s home).
    • Administer rabies vaccine within 96 hours.
    • Giving the rabies vaccine within 96 hours might reduce the quarantine time to 4 months. This reduced quarantine time does not apply to puppies and kittens too young to vaccinate.
• Dogs and cats that have probably been vaccinated but have no documentation:
  • Report exposure to Animal Control.
  • The health director may allow blood tests for rabies antibodies. The first sample is obtained before the rabies booster is administered; the second is obtained 5 to 7 days later.
  • Administer rabies vaccine within 96 hours of exposure.
  • The animal remains in quarantine at a veterinary facility while awaiting test results.

 
What you should do
1. Keep your pets’ vaccinations current. This includes indoor-only cats!
 
2. If your pet bites someone, don’t avoid the consequences; just accept the 10-day quarantine.
 
3. If a bat is in your house:

• Trap the bat in a room: close the door and block the gap beneath the door with a towel. Do not handle the bat. If you can’t close the bat in a room, have someone keep an eye on it so Animal Control officers can find it. Don’t let the bat fly outside.
• Call Animal Control (dial 311 Monday through Friday, 911 after hours and on weekends).
• If the bat tests negative for rabies, you will not need to have rabies vaccinations yourself and your pet will not face a quarantine (even if it is not vaccinated).

 
4. If your pet is bitten by an unknown animal, a wild animal, or a dog or cat with unknown vaccination status:

• Your pet may have saliva on its fur, which poses a potential risk to people. Handle your pet with gloves and limit its contact with people until it is treated.
• Bring your pet to the clinic as soon as possible for medical treatment and a rabies booster.

 
5. If you you notice a wild animal acting strangely or you have found a dead wild animal:

• Contact Animal Control (dial 311 Monday through Friday, 911 after hours and on weekends).
• If the animal is alive, tell the Animal Control officers its last known location.
• If the animal is dead, avoid direct contact. Use a shovel or wear gloves if you must pick it up. If you have direct contact, wash your hands well with soap and water. Save the body for Animal Control to test.
• If your pet has been in contact with the animal, it may need a rabies booster vaccination within 96 hours, depending on the animal and the circumstances.

 
6. To avoid attracting wild animals, feed your pets indoors and don’t leave food outside.
 
 
For more information
Rabies control and prevention in North Carolina: NC Health and Human Services website
Protect yourself from rabies: Mecklenburg Government website
 
September 28, 2017
Photo by Inge Wallumrød

You may have read a recent news report of a Mecklenburg County puppy quarantined for 6 months after possible exposure to a bat. Did you wonder why the quarantine was so long?

This is the first of 2 posts about rabies laws in North Carolina. This article covers background information about rabies: the reasons for the laws. The second article will discuss NC rabies regulations and what they mean for your pets (preview: vaccinate your indoor cats).

Why rabies vaccination is mandated by law
Rabies is caused by a virus transmitted between animals and people. It is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, but it can be prevented with vaccination.

Rabies kills an estimated 59,000 people worldwide every year. Nearly all of these deaths are caused by exposure to rabid domestic dogs. Most deaths occur in areas of Asia and Africa where access to vaccination is limited.

Compare that statistic with the current situation in the United States. In this country rabies kills only 1 or 2 people annually, the dog variant of the rabies virus has been eliminated, and the rabies reservoir species are wild animals. Before rabies control programs were introduced, more than 100 people in the United States died from rabies each year.

The conclusion is simple: rabies control programs save lives.

Rabies in North Carolina
Rabies is still a real risk in the United States. Thousands of wild animals (most often bats, raccoons, and skunks) test positive for rabies each year. The most commonly infected domestic animals are cats, followed by cows and dogs.

In 2016, 251 animals tested positive for rabies in North Carolina. In Mecklenburg County, 19 animals tested positive, the highest number of any NC county. Nine animals tested positive in Cabarrus County. Nearly half of the rabies-positive animals in North Carolina in 2016 were raccoons. The others, in descending order, were foxes, skunks, bats, cats, cows, dogs, beavers (Mecklenburg had 1 of the 2 rabid beavers in the state), and a deer. Other fascinating (to me) rabies statistics are available on the NC Department of Health and Human Services website.

The path of rabies infection
Rabies is transmitted through saliva and nervous tissue, such as brain. It usually enters the body through a bite wound but can also enter through broken skin or mucous membranes (nose, mouth, or eyes).

After rabies virus enters the body, it travels through the nerves to the brain. This process can take several months. During this incubation period, the exposed animal has no symptoms of infection.

Once the virus reaches the brain, it multiplies and moves to the salivary glands. At this point the animal can transmit rabies to another animal. Virus multiplication in the brain causes brain inflammation, leading to signs of rabies. Death occurs within about 7 days.

Rabies virus tests in animals are performed on brain tissue. For this reason, rabies testing in animals requires euthanasia.

To sum up: An animal exposed to rabies might not show signs of infection for many months and cannot be tested for rabies while it is alive. An animal that is capable of transmitting rabies will show signs of infection within a few days and will be dead within about a week.

September 15, 2017
Photo by Inge Wallumrød