Bites - Animal, Bat, Tick

Reporting an Animal Bite

If you are a healthcare or veterinary provider and you would like to submit a bite report by fax, a PDF version of our Bite Report Form is available.  Please submit completed forms by confidential fax to the number listed at the bottom of the form.

The Jackson County Health Department and Jackson County Animal Shelter collectively investigate bites, scratches or rabies exposures when the victim is human or a domestic animal such as a pet dog or cat. If you or someone you know has been bitten or scratched by an animal, or has an animal that has bitten or scratched, and you aren't sure what to do, please call the Jackson County Health Department’s Communicable Disease Division at 517-788-4655 or the Jackson County Animal Shelter at 517-788-4464 and ask us.

If you are a citizen and it is after hours, or you have been unable to make contact with us, you may fill out the online version of the Bite Report Form and we will follow up with you to provide guidance on next steps.


When to call 911:
If you have a potentially dangerous situation involving animals, please dial 911. An officer will be dispatched.
Rabies Fact Sheet (JCHD)
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/emergingdiseases/BE_AWARE_RABIES_BOOK_603507_7.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/index.html
https://www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases/0,4579,7-186-76711_78041---,00.html

Animals That Can Transmit Rabies

Picture of Animals That Can Transmit Rabies: Dogs, coyotes, bats, skunks, racoons, and cats.

Bats

If you find a bat inside your home, are bitten or scratched by a bat, OR if you find a bat in a room with:

  • A sleeping person;
  • an unattended child;
  • a mentally impaired person;
  • an intoxicated person

DO NOT DISCARD IT OR LET IT GO!

Save the bat for testing and if bitten or scratched, wash the wound with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately. Take care to capture the bat safely without damaging the head. Rabies testing is done on the brain. Wear leather gloves and approach the bat slowly. Place a box or coffee can over the bat. Punch holes in a piece of cardboard to allow the bat to breath and slide it under the containers to trap the bat inside. Contact Jackson County Health Department's Communicable Disease Department at 517-768-1664 or the Jackson County Animal Shelter at 517- 788-4464 to arrange for rabies testing. If it is a weekend or holiday, keep the bat cold but DO NOT FREEZE and follow up the next business day. Determining that a bat is negative for rabies infection can make rabies post exposure vaccine prophylaxis unnecessary. 

If the bat escapes and/or is unable to be tested, do not delay seeking medical advice. Contact your family doctor or visit the nearest emergency room. Henry Ford Jackson Emergency Room is the only place to obtain rabies vaccine in Jackson County.

In Michigan, bats are the animal most often found to be rabid. People usually know when they have been bitten by a bat. However, bats have small teeth that may not leave marks that are easy to see and the bite may not be felt. There are conditions in which a person could be bitten by a  bat and not know it or be able to report it.

Ticks

There are over 20 different varieties of ticks found in Michigan with five being the most common.  While not all ticks carry disease, some do.  Removing a tick before or soon after it bites decreases the likelihood of becoming ill.   The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Tick page includes instructions on 

  • Safe removal of ticks
  • Lyme disease
  • Ways to submit a tick for identification.  

TickBot Graphic Button

Here are some simple techniques to help reduce tick populations around your home:

  • Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns.
  • Place a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns, wooded areas, patios, and play equipment. This will restrict tick migration into recreational areas.
  • Maintain short grass in lawns and keep leaves raked.
  • Stack wood neatly in a dry area to discourage rodents that ticks feed on.
  • Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees. If possible, place these items in a sunny location.
Close-up view of a tick