Rabies information for veterinary clinics

If a person has been bitten by a mammal, or has come into contact with a bat or a potentially rabid animal, advise the victim to:

• wash the bite, scratch or open wound with soap and water as soon as possible after the wound happens, and flush it with water for 15 minutes
• contact their doctor, local public health office or Health Link at 811 for a risk assessment

In order to ensure appropriate follow-up, you should also report a bite or other exposure if you are concerned that it will not be managed appropriately by the parties involved. For example, if you become aware of human-bat contact that has not been reported to public health.

If a cat, dog or domestic ferret is presented for euthanasia less than 10 days after biting a human, the veterinarian may euthanize the animal in a manner that does not damage the head but must not dispose of the animal’s head without authorization from a local medical officer of health or designate.

You may contact public health before or after euthanasia to discuss the case. If the individual bitten lives on reserve, contact Indigenous Services Canada.

If euthanasia is performed before contacting public health, examine the animal for clinical signs of rabies (to the extent possible) prior to euthanasia. Promptly report the case to public health and maintain and preserve the body in the clinic until it is determined whether it will be tested for rabies.

Manage exposures (such as bites) of veterinary clinic staff or clients in the same manner as community exposures. See also Vaccinating veterinary personnel.

Find contact information for public health and Indigenous Services Canada on the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association member page under 'Practice Resources: Rabies Exposure'. You will need to log in to view this page.

Clinics do not need to contact the Alberta Rabies Program when a person has been bitten if they do not suspect that the offending animal has rabies.

When evaluating the behaviour of a wild animal that has bitten a domestic animal, consider:

• whether the time of day or location of the encounter were unusual for the species involved
• the animal’s mentation, movement and general appearance
• whether it is normal for the offending animal to bite in the situation (for example, did the offending animal attack or was it defending itself)
• the duration of the encounter and whether the offending animal attempted to escape

If the offending animal has died, the condition of the carcass (for example, body condition, hair coat, presence of wounds) may provide indications of its health prior to death.

If the interaction was not observed, it may also provide indication of the time since death. This is particularly relevant when a pet finds a dead bat.

Maintain the carcass in case testing is required. Wear appropriate protective equipment, including gloves, if the carcass must be handled.

Risk level in Alberta

High

Actions

• Administer post-exposure vaccination.
• Provide owner education.
• Consult with the Alberta Rabies Program if the victim animal is:
  • previously unvaccinated
  • out of date on vaccination (more than 3 months overdue after a primary dose or 3 years overdue after subsequent doses)
  • or if post-exposure vaccination is not administered within 96 hours of exposure

The bat may be sent for testing in these cases if it is available.

Quarantine or observation may be required depending on the vaccination status of the animal at the discretion of the public health veterinarian.

Risk level in Alberta

High

Actions

• Administer post-exposure vaccination.
• Provide owner education.
• Consult with the Rabies Program if the animal is:
  • previously unvaccinated
  • out of date on vaccination (more than 3 months overdue after a primary dose or 3 years overdue after subsequent doses)
  • or if post-exposure vaccination is not given within 96 hours of exposure

The offending animal may be sent for testing in these cases if it is available.

Quarantine or observation may be required depending on the vaccination status of the victim animal at the discretion of the public health veterinarian.

Any wild or domestic mammal showing clinical signs consistent with rabies must be reported to the Alberta Rabies Program within 24 hours.

Risk level in Alberta

Low to very low

Actions

Management is usually limited to wound care. Vaccinate the victim animal if it is previously unvaccinated or its vaccination status has expired.

For wild animal encounters:

• Capture of a wild animal for observation is not advised.
  • A wild animal suddenly taken out of the wild will not behave normally.
• There is a lack of data on duration of illness for wild animal species to confirm an appropriate observation period so observation may not be reliable in all species.
• Testing should be pursued if the animal is exhibiting illness or abnormal behaviour, contact the Alberta Rabies Program to discuss further.
• If the carcass of a wild non-bat mammal is available for testing after it has bitten a human or domestic animal, contact the Alberta Rabies Program to see if the wild animal qualifies for surveillance testing even if the risk of rabies is low.

Risk level in Alberta

• Very low
• Animals that have traveled outside of Alberta or had known contact with a bat in the past 6 months may have a higher risk

Actions

Management is usually limited to wound care. Vaccinate the victim animal if it is previously unvaccinated or its vaccination status has expired.

Consider a post-exposure booster vaccine and request that the owner observe the offending animal for 10 days if:

• it has traveled outside of Alberta or had contact with a bat in the past 6 months, and
• it has not received at least 2 prior doses of rabies vaccine and remained up to date on vaccination throughout the prior 6 months

Request that the owner report any signs of illness in the offending animal during the 10-day observation period to their veterinarian or the Alberta Rabies Program.

If the offending animal is not known or it is otherwise not possible to determine the above information, the victim animal should be vaccinated if not up to date. No further action is needed with respect to rabies risk.

These risk categories reflect the risk of rabies virus transmission from offending species to domestic animals in Alberta only. They do not apply to other jurisdictions.

Bats are currently the only rabies reservoir in Alberta. Spillover of rabies virus from bats to other species does occur, but it is much less common than in jurisdictions where the virus is maintained in foxes, skunks or raccoons.

For more information, see Distribution of rabies. Human exposure assessment is managed by public health under the guidance of a Medical Officer of Health. Potential human exposures are to be reported as indicated in the 'Potential human exposure' section above.

• Post-exposure vaccination is required for high-risk exposures and must occur promptly.
  • Delays of greater than 96 hours (4 days) from the time of exposure may affect the need for or duration of quarantine.
  • Vaccination should still be administered even if delayed past 96 hours.
• Administer rabies vaccination, even if the victim animal is fully/currently vaccinated against rabies.
  • If the animal has had at least 2 prior rabies vaccinations administered according to the manufacturer’s directions and the most recent vaccination was within 30 days of the exposure event, a booster vaccination is not required.
• Vaccinate against rabies even if the exposed animal is less than 12 weeks of age.
  • An additional vaccination will be required after 12 weeks of age in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions.
• If a domestic animal may have been exposed to rabies and has bitten a human, provide post-exposure vaccination to the animal and follow the guidance in the 'Potential human exposure' section above.
  • Do not delay vaccination of a victim animal due to concurrent human exposure.

• Discuss risks, routes of exposure, vaccination, clinical signs and incubation period.
• Request that the owner contact a veterinary clinic or the Alberta Rabies Program if they observe signs of disease in their animal.
• Rabies prevention and control is available as a resource.
• High-risk exposures may need to be reported to the Alberta Rabies Program if the victim animal is inadequately vaccinated.

• Fully vaccinated cats, dogs and ferrets that receive a booster vaccine within 96 hours after exposure will not require quarantine.
• Cats, dogs and ferrets that are unvaccinated or do not receive a booster vaccination promptly after exposure may require a 3- to 6-month quarantine as determined by Alberta’s Public Health Veterinarian:
  • If the offending animal is available, the test result will direct case management.
  • If the offending animal is not available or the sample is determined to be unfit for testing, the need for and duration of quarantine will be determined based on a risk assessment conducted by the Public Health Veterinarian.
• For animals that are overdue for rabies booster vaccination:
  • A quarantine is not required for animals that are less than 3 months expired after their primary dose or that have received 2 or more doses and are less than 3 years expired provided they receive a booster vaccination promptly after exposure.
  • Animals that are more than 3 months expired after their primary dose or more than 3 years expired after all subsequent doses will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
• Management and quarantine following exposure of other domestic animals will depend on the species involved and their intended use.

Alberta Rabies Program staff will either:

• arrange for carcass pick-up (depending on location and staff availability), or
• provide the rabies submission form and detailed instructions on how to collect, package and ship the sample to the rabies laboratory at the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency National Center for Animal Diseases outside Lethbridge, Alberta.
  • Information will also be provided to invoice Alberta's government for clinic services directly related to collection and submission.

Inform Alberta Rabies Program staff if additional diagnostics are planned prior to submission. Samples cannot be returned once they enter the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency rabies laboratory.

Do not submit rabies samples to the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency laboratory without prior coordination with Rabies Program staff.

• Rabies suspect animals and samples should be handled by vaccinated individuals wearing appropriate protective equipment.
  • For example, wear gloves and facial protection during necropsy procedures.
• Carcasses/samples should be maintained between 2 and 6°C.
• Refrigeration is ideal, but the use of ice packs, with or without a cooler, can also be considered.
  • Freezing will not damage the sample, but may delay testing if still frozen upon arrival at the lab.
  • Avoid freezing if possible, unless directed to do so by Rabies Program staff.
• Maintain sample integrity and biosafety by using leak-proof, sealed containers and double bagging the carcass or samples.

• More information on rabies sample collection and personal protective equipment is available from the University of Guelph Animal Health Laboratory.
• Learn how to euthanize a bat.