Animal Bites

If You've Been Bitten by a Dog

Seek medical treatment, if necessary. File a report with the police department. Either the Compliance Officer will take the report or an officer will if the Compliance Officer is not working. The dog owner will be advised to quarantine the dog at home for 10 days.

The report will be forwarded to the Health Department the next working day after the bite is reported. Someone from the Health Department will come out and physically inspect the dog. The Health Department will advise the owner that the dog must be quarantined for 10 days. The dog must get a rabies shot at this time (if he did not have one prior) and the vet must give the owner a written report of the dog's health, which the owner must bring to the Health Department.

Failure to follow this procedure may result in criminal charges being filed against the owner.

Animal Bite Investigations

Per Ohio Law, animal bite incidents should be reported within 24 hours to a health commissioner of the local health jurisdiction for investigation to assist in protecting the public from possible rabies exposures. All reported animal bites occurring in the City of Kent, Ohio are investigated by the Kent City Health Department.

Report a Bite

Complete and submit our Animal Bite Report Form (PDF).

Law Regarding Rabies

For information on Ohio Law regarding rabies from animal bites, please reference the Ohio Department of Health's Zoonotic Disease Program.

Animal bites and scratches that break the skin can sometimes cause infection. Some bites need to be closed with stiches while others heal on their own. Rarely, animal bites (particularly from wild animals) can lead to rabies, a life-threatening disease. Bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes transmit most cases of rabies.

What to Do:

Wash the bite area with soap and water; apply pressure with sterile gauze or a clean cloth if the bite is bleeding
If the bleeding has stopped, apply antibiotic ointment
Cover the area with a bandage or sterile gauze
Consider acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain

Seek Medical Care if:

the bite has broken the skin
the bite is on the face, head, neck, hand, foot, or near a joint
a bite or scratch becomes red, hot, swollen, or increasingly painful
the bite was from
- a wild or stray animal
- an animal that isn't up-to-date on rabies shots
- an animal that is acting strangely
the victim has not had a tetanus shot within 5 years, or is behind on shots (if victim is a child)

When seeking treatment, have the following information on hand:

the kind of animal that bit the victim
the date of the animal's last rabies vaccination, if known
any recent unusual behavior by the animal
the animal's location, if known
if the animal was a stray or wild, or was captured by a local animal control service
immunization (shots) record, if the victim was a child
a list of medication allergies

Think Prevention!

Many animal bites can be prevented. Always keep a close eye on young children around animals, even pets. Teach kids not to tease pets, to handle them gently, and to stay away from wild or stray animals.