Animal Bites and Rabies Exposure
Report a Bite or Exposure
Even if the wound doesn’t seem serious, scratches and bites from animals can spread germs that lead to infection, like rabies, or can cause injury. All animal bites and exposures to bats should be reported to LCHD. When a report is received, LCHD will contact the patient to assess the risk of rabies exposure and determine if post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is needed.
What is Rabies and How is it Spread?
Rabies is a deadly but preventable disease. Rabies can spread to people and pets through bites and scratches from infected animals . The rabies virus infects the central nervous system of mammals, including humans, which causes disease in the brain and death. Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal. Bats, raccoons, and skunks are the most common animals associated with rabies. In Michigan, bats are the animals most often found with rabies. Because of this, it is extremely important to take proper precautions if you find a bat in your home.
Bat Exposures
Bat bites or scratches can be small and are not always noticed. Since rabies is so deadly, bites and scratches should be taken seriously. Any direct contact with a bat should be considered a possible exposure to rabies and should be assessed. It is critical to have a bat tested for rabies if there is any chance that someone may have been exposed. If someone has been bitten or scratched, do not let the bat go. Safely capture the bat for rabies testing and immediately contact LCHD at 517-552-6882.
When Should I Capture a Bat For Testing?
A bat should be captured for testing when:
- A bat was in a room with a sleeping person
- A bat was in a room with an unattended child, mentally impaired person, or an intoxicated person
- A human had contact with a bat
- A pet had contact with a bat
Remember – do not let a bat go if someone has been exposed! Captured bats can be sent in for rabies testing.
When Should I Not Capture a Bat For Testing?
Only let a bat go if you are absolutely positive that no humans or pets were exposed. For example, you saw the bat fly in an open door, circle the room, and fly out, without landing on or contacting anyone. If the bat had any contact with a human or pet – however minor or brief – do not let the bat go. Capture it and have it tested.
How to Safely Capture a Bat
- Find a Tupperware container or shoebox large enough to fit the bat. Punch air holes in the top.
- Put on leather work gloves. When the bat lands, approach slowly and place the container over the bat. Slide a piece of cardboard under the container to keep the bat inside.
- Tape the cardboard to the container to secure the bat inside. Contact LCHD at 517-552-6882 for additional information and guidance about testing.
- If the bat dies, place it in the container and keep it in the fridge. Do not place the bat in the freezer as freezing the bat may damage the brain and make it ineligible for testing.
If a bat is captured, contact LCHD for testing guidance by calling 517-552-6882.
Animal Bites and Scratches
While most animals that bite will not have rabies, proper precautions and follow-up can limit severe outcomes. Animals like fox, opossum, raccoons, and woodchucks have been known to carry rabies. Animals that do not generally carry rabies include chipmunks, gerbils, gophers, squirrels, guinea pigs, hamsters, moles, shrews, mice, muskrats, voles, rabbits, rats, and prairie dogs.
If you have been bitten, wash the wound with soap and water and seek medical care. Your medical care team may prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection and/or suggest a tetanus vaccination. They will also assess for rabies.
Report the bite to LCHD. LCHD investigates bites, scratches, and rabies exposure to ensure rabies disease does not spread.
Animal Quarantine
The Michigan Public Health Code states the biting animal must be quarantined for a 10-day rabies observation and then viewed by an animal shelter or vet. Rabies is rare but possible, and Michigan laws are in place to protect residents. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office or Animal Control may contact the animal owner for quarantine procedures. If the biting animal cannot be quarantined or tested, rabies PEP may be recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I prevent myself from getting rabies?
The best way to protect yourself from getting bitten or scratched by a wild animal is to avoid contact with them. Never approach or feed them. Be careful of pets you do not know and if an animal is acting strange.
What if I was bitten by a cat, dog, or ferret?
If you were bitten by a cat, dog, or ferret that appeared healthy at the time you were bitten, it can be confined by its owner for 10 days and observed. No rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is needed. No person in the United States has ever contracted rabies from a dog, cat or ferret held in quarantine for 10 days.
If a dog, cat, or ferret appeared ill at the time it bit you or becomes ill during the 10 day quarantine, it should be evaluated by a veterinarian for signs of rabies. You should seek medical advice about the need for rabies PEP.
When should I seek medical attention if I was bit?
Remember that rabies is serious. Decisions should not be delayed. If you’ve been in contact with any wildlife or unfamiliar animals, particularly if you’ve been bitten or scratched, you should talk with a healthcare or public health professional to determine your risk for rabies or other illnesses. Providers can help you determine your need for rabies vaccine.
What symptoms do animals with rabies have?
Be careful of pets you do not know and if an animal is acting strange. Watch out for:
- General sickness
- Problems swallowing
- Excessive drool or saliva
- Overly aggressive
- An animal that bites at imaginary objects
- An animal that is tamer than you would expect
- An animal that’s having trouble moving or is paralyzed
- A bat on the ground
If you do come into contact with a rabid animal, rabies is preventable! Getting prompt and appropriate medical care is essential. If you are bitten or scratched, talk to a healthcare provider about whether you need post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
Decisions to start PEP are based on the type of animal you were exposed to, whether the animal is available for testing, and the laboratory and surveillance information for the area the exposure occurred.
The rabies vaccine is available at LCHD for individuals who are deemed eligible.
How can I protect my pet from rabies?
Dogs, cats, and ferrets should be vaccinated against rabies by a veterinarian. Pets may get bitten or scratched by a wild animal such as a bat, raccoon, or skunk. Indoor cats are at risk if they are unvaccinated and a bat enters the home. Contact a veterinarian for additional information on how to protect your pet against rabies.
How can I protect myself and my family from rabies while traveling internationally?
Before traveling abroad, consult with your healthcare provider or a travel clinic about the risk of exposure to rabies and how to handle an exposure.
LCHD offers a travel immunization clinic. Appointments for the travel clinic should occur 4-6 weeks before departure.
Is there a time of year when bats are more active?
In Michigan, bats are most active in the summer due to warm temperatures and large insect populations. Bats begin looking in early fall for places to hibernate over the winter. Autumn is when it is most likely to find a bat in your home, though it could happen year-round.
What is PEP?
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) consists of a dose of human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) and a four-dose rabies vaccine series that should be started as soon as possible after a rabies exposure. Additional vaccine doses are then given again on days 3, 7, and 14 after the first dose is given (identified as Day 0). HRIG is usually provided at hospital emergency department.
LCHD does not offer HRIG, but can provide rabies vaccine for days 3, 7, and 14. Complete our Rabies PEP Request Form.
For people who have never received a rabies vaccine, PEP should always include administration of both HRIG and rabies vaccine. The combination of HRIG and vaccine is recommended for both bite and non-bite exposures regardless of the interval between exposure and start of treatment.
People who have been previously vaccinated or are receiving pre-exposure vaccination for rabies should not receive HRIG and should only receive two doses of vaccine three days apart.
Current vaccines are relatively painless and are given in your arm like a flu or tetanus vaccine; rabies vaccines are not given in the stomach.
Additional Resources
Healthcare Providers
All bites/exposures are required to be reported to local health departments within 24 hours per the Michigan Public Health Code. To report a bite/exposure call LCHD (517-552-6882), fax LCHD (517-545-9685), or use our online Animal Bite/Exposure Report Form.
Any penetration of the skin by teeth.
- – Bites by some animals, such as bats, can be minor/difficult to see.
- – The circumstances under which the bite happened are important and help to determine if rabies is a concern from the bite.
- – Biting animal must be quarantined for a 10-day rabies observation (domestic animal) or captured and tested for rabies (wild animal).
Contamination of open wounds, abrasions, or mucous membranes.
- – Non-bite exposures rarely cause rabies, but such exposures should be evaluated to determine if rabies PEP is necessary.
- – Rabies virus is not infectious once dried or exposed to sunlight.
- – Contact such as petting or handling an animal, or contact with other body fluids such as blood, urine, or feces is not a risk.
Direct contact with a bat.
Direct contact includes:
- – A bat in a room with a sleeping person
- – A bat in a room with an unattended child, mentally impaired person, or an intoxicated person
- – A human had contact with a bat
- – A pet had contact with a bat
- – Bats should be captured for rabies testing: bit.ly/CaptureBats.
- – PEP is recommended if rabies cannot be ruled out through testing.
Last Modified May 1, 2026
