Marion County Health is required to follow-up on animal bites that occur within Marion County. The main concern is the risk of rabies. All mammals can get rabies but bats are the main carrier of rabies in Oregon. If the bite did not break the skin, no follow-up is required.
“Quarantine” means to keep the animal away from people and other animals that it is not normally around. The animal needs to be kept on the owner’s property and to stay in Marion County for 10 days or placed in a public facility such as the Humane Society or a veterinarian’s clinic.
When a domestic pet (dog, cat, squirrel, rat, etc.) bites a human, that animal must be placed in quarantine for 10 days.
If a wild animal (squirrels, rats, feral cats, bats, etc.) causes a bite, follow-up cannot be done unless the animal can be captured and placed in quarantine. Victim should cleanse the wound well and get medical treatment, if needed.
If an animal in quarantine becomes ill or the owner notices unusual behavior in the animal, this should be reported to the authorities immediately.