Minnesota's Rabies Facts

Download a print version of this document:
Minnesota's Rabies Facts (PDF: 27KB/2 pages)

On this page:
What is rabies and how serious is it?
Which animals carry rabies in Minnesota?
When should you suspect an animal has rabies?
The special problem of bat bites
Catching bats for rabies testing
What should you do if someone is bitten?
What should you do if a wild animal bites your pet?
How can rabies be prevented?
Rabies Post Exposure Treatment

What is rabies and how serious is it?

Rabies is a disease that affects the nervous system of mammals. It is caused by a virus and is typically spread by an infected animal biting another animal or person. Rabies is a fatal disease; it cannot be treated once symptoms appear. Luckily, rabies can be effectively prevented by vaccination.

Which animals carry rabies in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, skunks and bats are the most common rabid animals. Domestic animals such as cattle, horses, dogs, cats, and ferrets generally become infected after contact with rabid skunks or wild carnivores. People are usually exposed to rabies by dogs and cats, livestock or bats.

Some animals almost never get rabies, and their bites rarely call for treatment. These include hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, rats, mice, and other small rodents. Dogs, cats, and ferrets that have been properly vaccinated against rabies rarely get the disease. Vaccination is also available for horses, cattle and sheep.

When should you suspect an animal has rabies?

You should suspect rabies in animals that show a change in behavior, are found staggering or circling, or appear paralyzed. Wild animals may become unusually tame or unusually aggressive, and they may attack other animals, people, or objects. Pets may become fearful and agitated, or act depressed and lethargic. The most common observation in rabies cases is a behavioral change. If you suspect rabies, do not handle the animal. Seek advice from a veterinarian or your local animal control agency immediately.

The special problem of bat bites

In recent years, most cases of rabies in humans in the U.S. have been due to bat bites that were not recognized or reported. Bat bites are a special problem because the tiny teeth marks are difficult to see and the bite may not be noticed.

If there is any chance that physical contact with a bat occurred, the bat should be captured and tested for rabies. These situations include finding a bat in the room of an unattended child, or waking up to find a bat in the room.

Call the Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-5414 for advice about bat contact.

Catching bats for rabies testing:

Wear heavy gloves and use a coffee can or similar hard-sided container (with a cover) to catch a bat for rabies testing. Then slide the cover underneath to trap the bat inside the container. Do not use pillowcases, towels or blankets to capture bats; many people have been bitten through the fabric doing this.

In some Minnesota communities, an animal control officer is available to help capture a bat and get it tested for rabies.

Contact your local animal control officer for help catching the bat; call your veterinarian or the Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-5414 for information on submitting bats to the laboratory for rabies testing.

What should you do if someone is bitten?

• Wash the bite immediately with soap and running water. Thorough cleaning with generous amounts of soap and water is the most effective way to prevent wound infections after animal bites.
  
  
• Seek medical attention immediately. Your doctor will evaluate the need for rabies prevention in consultation with your local or state health department. Other infections, such as tetanus, may also result from a bite wound and may require medical attention.
  
  
• Get the pet owner’s name, address, and telephone number, and the rabies vaccination status of the animal. Contact animal control or your local police/sheriff’s department.
  
  
• In most cases, a healthy dog, cat, or ferret that bites a person is confined and observed for 10 days. If it becomes ill during the 10 days, a veterinarian should be consulted immediately. If the person is bitten on the head or face, or the bite wounds are very serious, or if the animal is behaving strangely or ill, the animal should be euthanized immediately and checked for rabies.
  
  
• Wild animals that bite people (skunks, foxes, coyotes, raccoons and other wild carnivores) should be sacrificed and checked for rabies. The incubation period for rabies in wild animals is unknown; because of this, an observation period is not allowed in the event of a wild animal biting someone. Contact the local animal control office for assistance in capturing the animal for testing.
  
  
• Domesticated wild animals or exotic pets are considered wild animals. Management of these bite cases will depend on the animal species and the circumstances of the bite.
  
  
• Consult your veterinarian and your local health department or the Minnesota Department of Health for additional information and help.

What should you do if a wild animal bites your pet?

Please notify your veterinarian or the Minnesota Board of Animal Health at 651-296-2942 if a wild animal bites your pet. If feasible, contact the local animal control office for assistance in capturing the animal for rabies testing.

Dogs, cats and ferrets that are currently vaccinated should be revaccinated immediately, and will be quarantined at home for 40 days by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. An unvaccinated pet should be euthanized to avoid exposing family members should the animal develop rabies. Alternatively, the pet can be vaccinated and quarantined for 6 months by the Board of Animal Health.

• Be sure your dogs, cats and ferrets are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations. Vaccinated pets prevent the spread of disease between wildlife and people.
  
  
• Teach children to never approach an unfamiliar or wild animal and encourage them to tell an adult if they are bitten.
  
  
• Never leave infants or young children alone with any animal.
  
  
• Report stray dogs and cats or animals showing unusual behavior to your local animal control office.
  
  
• Don’t attract wild animals to your home or yard. Tightly cover or put away garbage cans. Bat-proof your home, garage and outbuildings.
  
  
• Don’t feed, approach, touch or adopt wild animals. Don’t keep wild animals as pets.
  
  
• Hunters and trappers should avoid animals with abnormal behavior or animals found dead. Wear gloves while processing game and cook all game meat thoroughly.
  
  
• Vaccinate livestock at fairs and petting zoos that come into contact with the public. Your veterinarian may also recommend rabies vaccination for your horses and valuable livestock. (Rabies vaccination is available for cattle, horses, and sheep.)
  
  
• When traveling, especially outside the U.S., avoid contact with dogs and cats even if they appear friendly.

Rabies Post Exposure Treatment

While rabies is a fatal disease, there is effective treatment if sought soon after exposure. Once symptoms develop, there is no treatment for rabies. An injection of human rabies immune globulin and a rabies vaccination series should be given to those potentially exposed. The current series of post exposure injections is less painful and intensive than treatments of the past; injections are no longer given in the stomach. In addition to the human rabies immune globulin injection, a series of rabies vaccines are administered on treatment days 0,3,7,14, and 28 (the first day of rabies treatment is referred to as day 0) and are usually given in the arm.

 Need Help Opening a PDF File?

If you have questions or comments about this page, use our IDEPC Comment Form or call 651-201-5414 (TTY: 651-201-5797) for the MDH Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division.