Veterinarians: To report an
animal that you suspect to be rabid, click
here.
What
bites to report? In Los Angeles County, ALL ANIMAL BITES to people
(except from rodents and rabbits) are
reportable immediately and must
contain information on the animal's location if known,
as it is crucial for follow-up decision-making on animal
rabies quarantine and human patient treatment. Note that bat bites can be too small
to detect. All bat-human or bat-domestic
animal interactions should be reported. Wild mammal
(e.g. coyote, raccoon, opossum, skunk) bites to domestic animals
(e.g. dogs and cats) are also reportable.
How Do I Report Bites? To report
bites in any part of Los Angeles County other than in
the cities of Long Beach, Pasadena, or Vernon, contact
Los Angeles County Veterinary Public Health and Rabies
Control:
Scroll further down to read more about bite
reporting.
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- Report by fax. For
Animal Control
Agencies, Physicians, and Veterinarians.
Download the appropriate form and fax in
to the number on the form.
Click here for
forms.
-
Online Reporting Portal. These
portals are only
for human medical facilities and the
public, since they gather
limited information about the biting
animal. Veterinarians and shelters
should use the
pdf reporting forms. In the link to the portal below, you will be prompted by your computer to accept a security alert.
Click Yes to proceed. This process may take several minutes.
This is a secure website.
Animal Bite Reporting Portal (public/medical submission)
- To report bites in
Pasadena,
call the Pasadena Humane Society at:
626-792-7151.
To report bites in
Long Beach,
call Long Beach Animal Control at:
562-570-7387.
To report bites in
Vernon, call
the city Vernon and ask to speak to the
Health Department: 323-583-8811
If you have any questions,
please call us at
(213) 288-7060
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Who has to report? All people with knowledge
of the bite. Locally most reports come from animal
control agencies, physicians, and veterinarians, but
anyone may report a bite.
Other than it being legally required, why report?
The two primary reasons for reporting animal
bites are:
- Rabies Control. Reporting allows the
local public health authority to investigate whether
the biting animal may have transmitted rabies to the
bite victim. Although rabies is currently not
very common in Los Angeles County, rabies is endemic
in our local bats and can be transmitted to other
mammals and to people. Animals are constantly
being brought into Los Angeles County from other
counties, states and countries where the risk of
rabies is higher than it is here. The risk of
rabies in local animals can increase or decrease
over time.
- Animal Bite Data. Reporting allows local
public health authority to track data and trends in
animal bites to people within the local community.
What Happens When I Report A Bite? When
reporting a bite, be prepared to give details about the
date of the bite, the victim, and on the biting animal (such as location, species, breed, and circumstance of bite).
These details are very important in investigating risk of rabies transmission.
If the animal is located, it is evaluated for rabies
either by a quarantine and observation period, or by
testing its body after death. Most reported
bites are inflicted by dogs and cats. Quarantine
periods for dogs and cats are a minimum of 10 days.
Biting livestock are quarantined for 30 days.
Biting wild animals of high-rabies-risk species (bat,
skunk, fox, raccoon, coyote) are only tested, not
quarantined. Wildlife of low risk for rabies are
evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Animals that have been impounded by an animal control
agency must complete their quarantine period in a
shelter. Many owned biting animals complete their
quarantine in their own home, if they can be kept
securely on site. Veterinary Public Health and
Rabies Control is not an animal control agency and does
not impound animals. However, this program may
work in conjunction with animal control agencies when
needed.
A report of a bite from an animal does not mean that
the animal is deemed dangerous. Animals may bite
while playful, or the bite may be entirely provoked.
Residents that believe an animal to be dangerous need to
file a separate report with their local
animal control agency.
Last updated:
August 14, 2023
