Animal Bites / Rabies

Animal Bite Investigations

State laws and local ordinances require any person having knowledge or suspicion that an animal has bitten any person to immediately report it to animal control. Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Mountain View and Santa Clara residents must report animal bites directly to SVACA at (408) 764-0344.

Type of Bites Investigated: Bite investigations will be conducted whenever a mammal has bitten a human, except when the biting animal is a member of the order Rodentia (rats, mice, squirrels, etc.) or Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares and opossum). Bites from rodents or lagomorphs will only be investigated if unusual circumstances, such as abnormal animal behavior, indicate the animal was possibly rabid at the time of exposure. Animal to animal bites will only be investigated if the biting animal is wild, or is a domestic animal that has been exposed to wild animals.

Issuance of Quarantine Order: Any domestic animal that bites shall be isolated in strict confinement in a place and manner approved by the officer, in accordance with the California Code of Regulations, section 2606. The animal will be observed for signs of rabies infection during this quarantine period. The officer will instruct the owner or caretaker of the animal regarding the conditions of quarantine and that person's responsibility to comply, the symptoms of rabies infection, and consequences for violations of a quarantine order.

Location and Duration of Quarantine: Animals are generally quarantined for ten days from the date of the bite at the owner's home, the animal shelter or at a veterinary hospital at the owner's expense. It is the officer's discretion where to quarantine the biting animal.

 

Please call us at (408) 764-0344 if you have any questions or need more information.