The following are provisions relative to rabid animals:
(A) Knowledge of whereabouts. Any person having knowledge of the whereabouts of an animal known to have rabies or suspected of having rabies shall report the facts immediately to the health officer. The health officer shall likewise be notified of any person or animal bitten by a rabid or suspected rabid animal. The health officer shall be notified when any person is bitten by an animal of a species subject to rabies, whether or not the animal is suspected of having rabies. (HMC § 6.04.020)
(B) Isolation. Any clinically suspected rabid animal or biting animal shall be isolated in strict confinement as follows:
(1) Any clinically suspected rabid animal shall be isolated in strict confinement under proper care and under the observation of a licensed veterinarian in the pound, in a veterinary hospital or in other adequate facilities in a manner approved by the health officer and shall not be killed or released for at least ten days after the onset of symptoms suggestive of rabies.
(2) Any animal which bites or otherwise exposes a person to rabies shall be isolated in strict confinement in a place and manner approved by the health officer and observed for at least ten days after the day of infliction of the bite; except, that the following alternative is permitted in the case of dogs: Dogs which have been isolated in strict confinement under proper care and under observation of a licensed veterinarian in a pound, veterinary hospital or other adequate facilities, in a manner approved by the health officer, may be released from isolation by the health officer after five days of veterinary observation, if upon conducting a thorough physical examination on the fifth day or more after infliction of the bite, the observing veterinarian certifies that there are no clinical signs or symptoms of any disease. (HMC § 6.04.020, with minor modifications.) The confinement ordered shall be at the owners' expense.
(C) Euthanization. Unvaccinated dogs and cats exposed to a rabid or suspect rabid animal should be euthanized immediately. An alternative to euthanasia is immediate vaccination of the animal and placement in a strict isolation for six months (180 days). Isolation provisions are at the discretion of the local health officer and must preclude contact between the isolated animal and other animals or the public. Euthanasia is strongly recommended for unvaccinated juvenile animals due to their higher susceptibility to rabies infection. Protocols for the post-exposure vaccination of previously unvaccinated animals have not been validated, and there is evidence that the use of vaccine alone will not prevent the disease. Dogs and cats that are currently vaccinated should be revaccinated immediately and placed in strict isolation for 30 days.
(Ord. 836, § 1 (part))