Animal Bites
Taney County Health Department works with local authorities and health care providers to prevent rabies in the community. For animal bites or after-hour emergencies, please call your local police department or the Sheriff’s department.
The Taney County Animal Care and Control Shelter is now managed by Taney County. Animal Control Field Services are managed by local jurisdictions and the Sheriff’s department in unincorporated areas of the county. To reach the shelter, please call 417-332-0172.
What to Do If I Have Been Bitten
- Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and warm water.
- Contact your local police department or Sheriff’s office to report the bite.
- Call the Taney County Health Department for information about tetanus and rabies prevention.
- If owner of animal, be prepared to provide current vaccination/veterinarian records for the animals involved.
- Tetanus shot MUST be given within 72 hours of the bite if you’re not current on the vaccination.
- Bite wounds have a high risk of infection, antibiotic treatment may be required and you will need to be seen by a medical provider.
- If the animal is not available for quarantine or rabies testing, rabies post exposure prophylaxis may be required. Talk to your provider for further recommendations.
- Post exposure vaccine for rabies is a four-dose series, given on
- The day of exposure
- Day 3 after exposure
- Day 7 after exposure
- Day 14 after exposure
- Post exposure vaccine for rabies is a four-dose series, given on
- Once a bite report is received, all parties will be contacted for details about the incident and a rabies prevention investigation will begin.
- If the animal is available, a 10-day quarantine process will begin at the animal shelter, veterinarian’s office, or a home quarantine under certain circumstances.
- On the 1st, 5th and 10th day of quarantine, an Animal Control officer or designee will make contact to ensure all parties are still well.
- On the 10th day, provided all parties are still well, quarantine will end and the animal will be released to their owner(s).
- If the owner relinquishes ownership, the animal may be euthanized.
- The owner of the animal may be required to have their animal vaccinated for rabies at a veterinarian’s office after the end of the quarantine.
Resources For Providers & Local Authorities
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To ensure a timely response, animal bites should be reported to the Taney County Health Department within 24-hrs after the incident. Please fax animal bite reports to 417-335-5727.
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This form notifies owners that their animal is subject to a home quarantine due to potential rabies exposure and explains the steps that must be taken during the confinement period.
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This form is used to record a home quarantine check for animals involved in a possible rabies exposure, confirming proper confinement and health monitoring.
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Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) includes wound care, human rabies immune globulin (HRIG), and a four-dose vaccine series.
Rabies in the United States
Rabies is a rare but serious public health concern in the United States. While rabies is uncommon in humans, three out of four Americans live in a community where raccoons, skunks, or foxes carry this deadly disease.