Daily Care of Animals in Cases of Rabies

When is an animal considered to be validly vaccinated? In France, to be recognized as validly vaccinated against rabies, the vaccination and its certificate must comply with the decree of October 10, 2008, and the vaccination must be currently valid. A domestic carnivore vaccinated in another Member State is considered to be validly vaccinated against rabies when the vaccination is recorded in the pet passport, in accordance with the requirements of Regulation 998/2003, and the vaccination is currently valid.   When a dog or cat is confirmed to have rabies in a department not officially declared to be infected with rabies, what measures can be taken? The prefect may issue a prefectoral order establishing the measures to be applied in such cases: ― in the municipality where the dog or cat confirmed to have rabies is located, as well as in the municipalities where it may have roamed freely. These municipalities, listed in the prefectoral order, are designated as “the restricted area”; ― during the period ranging from the fifteen days preceding the onset of the first symptoms of the disease until six months after the death of the dog or cat confirmed to have rabies , or if the date of the first symptoms is unknown, during the period ranging from twenty days prior to the death of the dog or cat confirmed to have rabies until six months after the animal’s death. The prefect issues a prefectoral order declaring a dog or cat confirmed to have rabies, which triggers the following measures within the defined restricted area: Reporting of animals that have come into contact with the dog or cat confirmed to have rabies: any person who, in any capacity whatsoever, is responsible for the care or custody of a domestic mammal that has come into contact—either through a bite or scratch, or in any other way with the dog or cat confirmed to have rabies, is required to immediately report this to the mayor of the municipality where they reside or to an accredited veterinarian, who shall promptly notify the departmental director responsible for public health protection in the department where the owner of the domestic mammal resides;   Monitoring of Dogs, Cats, and Wild Carnivores in the Restricted Area: - The appearance of any sign of illness or the death of a dog or cat, regardless of the cause, must result in the owner immediately presenting the animal or its carcass to an accredited veterinarian, - If the dog or cat is alive, the accredited veterinarian will conduct a clinical examination and collect epidemiological data, based on which the veterinarian will decide whether to return the animal to its owner if no clinical signs suggest rabies. Otherwise, the veterinarian shall immediately notify the departmental director in charge of animal protection and, following the director’s instructions, may either place the animal under observation or perform euthanasia on it. - If the animal was brought to the accredited veterinarian already dead, the veterinarian immediately notifies the departmental director responsible for animal welfare. An epidemiological investigation and the collection of samples necessary for the diagnosis of rabies—which will be sent to an approved laboratory—are carried out under the responsibility of the departmental director in charge of public health. The disappearance of any dog or cat must be reported to the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations. Any carcass of a dog, cat, or wild carnivore found anywhere within the restricted area defined by a prefectoral order must be reported to the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations, which will determine whether a rabies test is warranted.   Are dogs allowed to move about within a restricted area? - Dogs residing within the restricted area that were validly vaccinated against rabies before the start of the current period —and whose vaccination remains valid—may move freely within the restricted area, provided they are under the direct supervision of their owner; - Dogs residing in the restricted area that are validly vaccinated against rabies , but whose vaccination period began after the start of the defined period, may move freely within the restricted area provided they are kept on a leash; - For the purposes for which they are used, herding dogs, cattle dogs, and hunting dogs that are validly vaccinated against rabies, but whose vaccination became valid after the start of the defined period and whose vaccination is currently valid may move freely within the restricted area provided they are under the direct supervision of their owner. The prefect may, however, decide to prohibit the movement of dogs used for hunting in one or more municipalities within the restricted area; - On public roads, and in all places and premises open to the public , the owner of a dog mentioned in the first two points must be able to present, upon request by the authority vested with police powers, documents certifying the animal’s identification and a valid, current rabies vaccination; - Dogs residing within the restricted area that do not meet the above conditions must be kept on a leash or confined. However, they may move about within the restricted area on public roads, provided they are kept on a leash and muzzled;   What about cats? Regardless of their rabies vaccination status, they must be kept confined. However, they may be moved within the restricted area in a cage or closed carrier.   What if I want to take my dog or cat out of the restricted area? Only dogs and cats that were validly vaccinated against rabies before the start of the defined period and whose vaccination is currently valid may leave the restricted area. Dogs and cats that do not meet this requirement are prohibited from leaving the restricted area unless authorized by the departmental director responsible for public health protection. Is the sale of dogs and cats suspended during the specified period? YES! No owner of a dog or cat may dispose of their animal except to have it subjected to euthanasia by an accredited veterinarian, either with the approval of the departmental director responsible for animal protection or in cases of force majeure. The departmental director responsible for public safety must ensure that the head or carcass of any euthanized dog or cat is sent to an approved laboratory to diagnose rabies. NO! If dogs and cats were properly vaccinated against rabies before the start of the aforementioned period and their vaccination is still valid, the owner may give up their animal. What about puppies and kittens born during this period? During the period ranging from three months and three weeks prior to the specified period until this order is lifted, they may be transferred, either free of charge or for a fee, to a buyer residing inside or outside the restricted area, provided that: - They are identified in accordance with Article L. 212-10 of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code; - They have received an initial rabies vaccination as defined by the order of October 10, 2008; - The person transferring the animal and the recipient sign a document in which the transferor declares that they are aware of their special obligations, and the recipient declares that they are aware of the obligations applicable to the transfer in question. The seller must comply with a monitoring protocol established by the departmental director responsible for animal protection, effective for a period of one month from the date of transfer. The document is prepared for each animal transferred and is signed by the seller and the buyer prior to the transfer. It includes the purchaser’s contact information and, if applicable, the contact information for the animal’s private animal keeping if different, the date of transfer, and complete details regarding the animal’s animal identification and rabies vaccination. The purchaser shall send a copy of this document to the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations in the animal’s department of origin and, if different, to the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations in the receiving department. The person transferring the animal shall retain a copy of this document. If no secondary cases of rabies have been reported in the restricted area during this one-month period: ― Surveillance of the transferred dog or cat is lifted if it remains outside the restricted area; ― if the transferred dog or cat remains within the restricted area, the surveillance of the animal is lifted but it remains subject to certain measures. If a secondary case of rabies is reported in the restricted area during the one-month monitoring period following the transfer of the dog or cat, an investigation will be conducted by the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations to determine whether the transferred animal had any contact with the secondary rabies case.   Can I bring a dog or cat into the restricted area? Only if they are properly vaccinated.   What if my dog or cat is found roaming in the restricted area? In addition to the standard procedures followed outside of a crisis, any dog or cat found roaming in the restricted area—whether admitted to an animal pound or placed in a shelter—may be reclaimed by its owner. Animals that strayed—with the exception of those considered infected with rabies—are subject to a prefectoral order placing them under surveillance, which entails the following measures: ― placing the dog or cat under surveillance for a period of one month from the end of the straying; ― a prohibition on the owner disposing of the dog or cat for one month, except to have it subjected to euthanasia by an accredited veterinarian, either with the approval of the departmental director responsible for public protection or in cases of force majeure. The departmental director responsible for public safety must ensure that the head or carcass of any euthanized dog or cat is sent to an approved laboratory to diagnose rabies; ― compliance with the provisions regarding the monitoring of dogs, cats, and wild carnivores within the restricted area. If no secondary case of rabies has been reported in the restricted area during the one-month period, surveillance of the stray dog or cat is lifted. However, if the animal remains in the restricted area, it remains subject to certain measures. If a secondary case of rabies is reported in the restricted area during the one-month monitoring period following the end of the dog’s or cat’s straying, an investigation will be conducted by the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations to determine any potential contact between the stray dog or cat and the secondary case of rabies. Stray animals not returned to their owners by the end of the legally mandated holding period are subject to euthanasia. Official Journal of August 12, 2011; Order of August 9, 2011, supplementing the provisions of Article R. 223-25 of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code regarding rabies control. Decree of August 9, 2011, regarding specific rabies control measures applicable in the area where a dog or cat confirmed to have rabies has been roaming.