Animals and rabies
Rabies is an infectious viral disease that affects the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals, including people. It's spread through the saliva and mucus membranes of an infected animal and can be transmitted in 3 ways:
- Bites that break the skin
- Saliva entering an open wound
- Saliva entering the mouth, nose or eyes
The chance of running into a rabid animal in Ontario is very low. The animals that most often transmit rabies are foxes, skunks, bats, and raccoons. Humans and their pets can become infected when they encounter an animal that has rabies. Learn more about rabies in Ontario
Signs of rabies in animals can include:
- Dumb rabies: lethargy (inactive or under-active), self-isolation, paralysis in the hind limbs that spreads to the rest of the body, excessive drooling (frothing), drooping head, sagging jaw.
- Furious rabies: extreme excitement, aggression, gnawing at its own limbs or body, attacking objects or other animals for no obvious reason.
- Rabies in bats: Rabid bats commonly lose their ability to fly or fly well. Other signs that bats may be rabid include wandering around in the daylight, crawling on the ground, or otherwise acting strangely.
Peel Public Health works with health care providers to reduce the risk of rabies in humans by investigating animal exposures (such as animal bites or scratches, or contamination of the mouth, nose, eyes or open wounds with animal saliva). We also work with animal services, neighbouring health units, and various provincial agencies to reduce the risk of rabies in Peel.
How to prevent rabies
- Keep a safe distance from wild animals, even if they look healthy. Wild animals that have rabies may also show no fear of people and might easily come close to you, which is unusual behaviour for them.
- Stay away from animals that are acting strangely or are injured or sick. Notify animal control if it is a wild animal.
- Keep your pet's vaccination up to date.
If you've been bitten or scratched by an animal that may have rabies
- Clean the bite or scratch thoroughly with soap and water.
- Call your family doctor or go to the nearest hospital for advice and treatment. A health care provider will report the exposure to Peel Public Health, a Public Health Inspector will assess the risk, based on the animal involved and the circumstances of the exposure.
- If possible, collect animal owner or custodian information (name, address, and phone number).
- If you had an exposure with a domestic animal (for example, dog or cat), you should get the animal owner’s contact information, which helps Public Health Inspectors with their investigation.
Rabies can be prevented if you seek medical treatment quickly after being bitten or scratched by an animal. Treatment for rabies is safe and effective but must be given as soon as possible after you have been bitten or scratched
If your animal bites or scratches someone
Provide the person who was bitten or scratched the following information:
- Your name
- Your address
- Your phone number
Providing this information to the person bitten or scratched will help Peel Public Health determine your animal’s health status. This may help the person bitten or scratched to avoid potentially unnecessary medical treatment.
Peel Public Health follow-up
Peel Public Health investigates animal bites and scratches to prevent and control the transmission of rabies.
To help protect other people and pets in Peel from rabies a Public Health Inspector may:
- Contact you to request further details (about the incident, animal vaccination status, etc.)
- Visually assess the health of your animal as soon as possible after receiving a bite or scratch report.
- Require a 10-day observation period of your animal in your home.
- Reassess the health of your animal, after the 10-day observation period to ensure your animal is healthy and did not develop any signs of rabies.
During the 10-day observation period, it’s important for you to:
- Limit the interaction between your animal and other animals or persons.
- Immediately call Peel Public Health at 905-799-7700, toll-free 1-888-919-7800, or email us if your animal appears unwell, escapes, dies or if the animal’s behaviour changes.
- Ensure that your animal is not re-vaccinated against rabies.
Animal owners know their animals the best. Peel Public Health prefers that animals are confined at home with their owner or custodian to observe any changes in their pet’s health.
If you have been bitten, scratched, or had direct contact with a bat, follow these steps:
- Immediately wash the bite or wound, or where the bat touched you with soap and water for at least 15 minutes.
- Apply an antiseptic to the wound.
- Seek medical attention from a health care provider to assess your risk and discuss treatment options.
If you find a bat in a room with a child or adult who cannot provide a reliable history of contact with the bat, seek medical attention from a health care provider to assess your risk and discuss treatment options. Your health care provider will report the incident to Peel Public Health at 905-799-7700, toll-free 1-888-919-7800, or email us. A public health inspector will investigate the incidence.
Treatment
Treatment to prevent rabies, if necessary, is most effective if started promptly after the exposure. The need for rabies treatment is assessed by your healthcare provider and will depend on:
- If there has been direct contact with the bat (e.g., a bat touching or landing on a person, or a person touching a bat) or, much less commonly,
- When saliva from the bat enters an open wound or mucous membrane (e.g., nose, mouth, eyes).
As of September 28, 2022, commercial dogs from countries at high-risk for dog rabies will no longer be allowed entry into Canada.
Commercial dogs can include, but are not limited to, dogs for resale, adoption, fostering, breeding, show or exhibition, research, and other purposes. Learn more about this new measure from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Bringing pets to Canada from certain countries carries a risk of spreading rabies to other animals and people. Dog rabies kills close to 60,000 people every year globally in over 100 countries that are at high-risk for dog rabies.
Even if pets have been vaccinated for rabies in another country, they must be re-vaccinated after their arrival in Ontario. The vaccine must be administered by a veterinarian as required by law (R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 567).
For people thinking of buying or adopting a dog, if you are a dog breeder or if you are with a rescue organization, refer to the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency's questions before your buy or adopt a dog.
Petting zoos and animal attractions are a great place to interact with animals. However, animals can sometimes carry germs that cause infections in people, such as Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and rabies. All animals can be sources of infections.
Following some simple precautions can reduce the risk of infections and ensure that petting zoos and animal attractions in Peel are a fun and positive experience for everyone.