If you are bitten by an animal and the bite is serious enough to require medical attention, you should go directly to a health care provider. This includes bites from pets like cats and dogs, as well as bites from wildlife.
- Your health care provider should fill out a
Bite Report and fax it to us at 517-546-9627 or to the Health Department at 517-546-6995.
If you did not seek medical attention, you should call the Health Department at 517-546-9850 or the Animal Shelter at 517-546-2440 to complete aBite Report. Our office will be forwarded the report and in cases where the owner of the animal is known, an Animal Control Officer will visit both the victim and the pet owner and notify them of bite case procedures.
Some wild animals are rarely infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit the disease to humans. These animals include: chipmunks, gerbils, gophers, squirrels, guinea pigs, hamsters, moles, shrews, mice, muskrats, voles, rabbits, rats, and prairie dogs. As a result, the species listed above will not be tested by the state lab, except under extenuating circumstances.
Other animals, like fox, opossum, raccoons, and woodchucks have been known to carry rabies. Contact the Health Department and they will decide if the animal should be tested.
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