Isle of Wight County |
Code of Ordinances |
Chapter 3. ANIMALS AND FOWL.* |
Article II. Dogs and Cats. |
Division 5. Rabies Control Generally. |
§ 3-25. Declaration of rabies emergencies; disposition of animals suspected as rabid.
(a)
When there is sufficient reason to believe that the risk of exposure to rabies is elevated, the board of supervisors may enact an emergency ordinance that shall become effective immediately upon passage, requiring owners of all dogs and cats therein to keep the same confined on their premises unless leashed under restraint of the owner in such a manner that persons or animals will not be subject to the danger of being bitten by a rabid animal. Any such emergency ordinance enacted pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be operative for a period not to exceed thirty days unless renewed by the board of supervisors. The board of supervisors shall also have the power and authority to pass ordinances restricting the running at large of dogs and cats which have not been inoculated or vaccinated against rabies and to provide penalties for the violation thereof.
(b)
Dogs or cats showing active signs of rabies or suspected of having rabies that is not known to have exposed a person, companion animal, or livestock to rabies shall be confined under competent observation for such a time as may be necessary to determine a diagnosis. If confinement is impossible or impracticable, such dog or cat shall be euthanized by one of the methods approved by the state veterinarian as provided in Section 3.2-6562 of the Code of Virginia (1950, as amended).
(c)
Every person having knowledge of the existence of an animal that is suspected to be rabid and that may have exposed a person, companion animal, or livestock to rabies shall report immediately to the local health department the existence of such animal, the place where seen, the owner's name, if known, and the symptoms suggesting rabies.
(d)
Any dog or cat, for which no proof of current rabies vaccination is available, and that may have been exposed to rabies through a bite, or through saliva or central nervous system tissue, in a fresh open wound or mucous membrane, by an animal suspected to be rabid, shall be isolated in a public animal shelter, kennel or enclosure approved by the health department for a period not to exceed six months at the expense of the owner or custodian in a manner and by a date certain as determined by the local health director; however, if this is not feasible, the dog or cat shall be euthanized by one of the methods approved by the state veterinarian as provided in Section 3.2-6562 of the Code of Virginia (1950, as amended). A rabies vaccination shall be administered prior to release. Inactivated rabies vaccine may be administered at the beginning of isolation. Any dog or cat so bitten, or exposed to rabies through saliva or central nervous system tissue, in a fresh open wound or mucous membrane with proof of current vaccination, shall be revaccinated by a licensed veterinarian immediately following the exposure and shall be confined to the premises of the owner or custodian, or other site as may be approved by the local health department at the expense of the owner or custodian, for a period of forty-five days.
(e)
At the discretion of the director of the local health department, any animal that may have exposed a person shall be confined under competent observation for ten days at the expense of the owner or custodian, unless the animal develops active symptoms of rabies, expires, or is euthanized before that time. A seriously injured or sick animal may be euthanized as provided in Section 3.2-6562 of the Code of Virginia (1950, as amended).
(f)
When any suspected rabid animal, other than a dog or cat, exposes or may have exposed a person to rabies through a bite, or through saliva or central nervous system tissue, in a fresh open wound or mucous membrane, decisions regarding the disposition of that animal shall be at the discretion of the local health director and may include euthanasia as provided in Section 3.2-6562 of the Code of Virginia (1950, as amended) or as directed by the state agency with jurisdiction over that species.
(g)
When any animal, other than a dog or cat, is exposed or may have been exposed to rabies through a bite, or through saliva or central nervous system tissue, in a fresh open wound or mucous membrane, by an animal suspected to be rabid, decisions regarding the disposition of that newly exposed animal shall be at the discretion of a local health director. (6-18-15.)
(STATE LAW REFERENCE—Sec. 3.2-6522 of the Code of Virginia (1950, as amended).)