(A) Every person having reason to believe that a child under the age of 18 years has been bitten or scratched by an animal shall report the matter promptly to the Animal Control Department or local Police Department.
(B) Any person owning, harboring or keeping an animal, which in the preceding ten days has bitten any person, shall upon receipt of written notice, place such animal in confinement under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian for a period of ten days from the date the person was bitten. In special circumstances the Chief of Police, or his specifically designated representative, may require the immediate euthanasia of a specified animal and perform tests for diagnosis of rabies. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES shall be defined as those situations involving severe bites by un-immunized animate. In this context, SEVERE is defined by the U.S. Public Health Service Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices as “bites upon the head, face, neck or upper extremities; or deep lacerations; or multiple bite wounds.”
(C) It shall be the duty of the veterinarian in whose supervision the animal is placed to keep the animal isolated in a separate pen or kennel and under observation for any symptoms of rabies. The veterinarian shall report immediately to the County Health Officer or the County Superintendent of Health any changes occurring in the condition of the animal. In the event the animal dies or develops rabies-like symptoms within the specified period of confinement, the animal’s head shall be removed immediately and packed in a shipping container in accordance with instructions published by the State Commissioner of Health and sent to the State Department of Health Laboratory, Oklahoma City, for examination.
(1) Any person owning, harboring or in any manner keeping an animal which, in the preceding ten days has bitten any other animal, shall upon receipt of notice place such animal in confinement under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian for a period of ten days from the date of the bite.
(2) In the event the impounded animal dies or develops rabies-like symptoms (as certified by veterinarian or staff) during confinement, the animal head shall be immediately removed and transmitted for examination to the State Department of Health in accordance with the procedures of division (B) above. Provided, in the event of such death or symptom development of the impounded animal, the owner of the bitten animal shall immediately upon notice likewise place his animal in confinement under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian for the observation required above.
(D) Payment of any fees incurred and cost of boarding the animal shall be the responsibility of the person owning, keeping or harboring the animal.
(E) It shall be the duty of the Animal Control Officer, or other person authorized by the Chief of Police, to enforce these regulations, and in instances where responsibility for the suspect animal cannot be determined or established, he shall make arrangements for the isolation and observation of the animal.
(F) Any domestic dog or cat which is not effectively immunized against rabies virus encephalitis and is exposed to rabies through a rabid animal shall be euthanized immediately either by the veterinarian
in charge or by the local rabies control officer or his agent; or such non-immunized, rabies-exposed dog or cat shall be strictly quarantined and observed for a period of six months by a veterinarian control officer or his agent, and such animal shall be immunized against rabies at least 30 days prior to release. Expenses of quarantine and immunization shall be borne by the owner or other person responsible for the animal.
(G) Any domestic animal other than a dog or cat which is not immunized against rabies and is exposed to a rabid animal shall be immediately reported to the Rabies Control Division of the State Department of Health for consultation concerning the disposition of the animal.
(H) Any un-immunized domestic animal which is bitten by a wild skunk, bat or carnivore where the biting animal has escaped and/or is not available for laboratory, shall be considered exposed to rabies and shall be dealt with according to divisions (E) and (F) above.
(I) Any effectively immunized domestic animal which is exposed to a rabid animal shall be immediately re-immunized and restrained for a period of at least 90 days.
(J) It is prohibited to sell live virus rabies vaccine licensed for use in animals to anyone other than a licensed veterinarian in the State of Oklahoma. Veterinarians shall be required to keep a record of the type and/or brand name of the rabies vaccine administered to each animal. These records shall be maintained for a period consistent with the need which is interpreted by the Commissioner of Health to be three years. When inactivated (killed virus) vaccines are sold to individuals who are not licensed veterinarians, the seller must keep a record for three years which includes: the name, address and telephone number (if any) of the purchaser; the brand name, lot serial number and expiration date of the vaccine sold; and the total amount of vaccine sold. The individual who administers rabies vaccine must keep a record for three years which includes: name and address of the owner of the animal, date of vaccination, brand name of vaccine used, lot serial number of vaccine used, person or firm from whom purchased, their address and date of purchase; expiration date of vaccine used and the name, address and telephone number (if any) of the individual administering the vaccine.
(Ord. 2009-10, passed 5-18-09; Am. Ord. 2009-33, passed 12-21-09)