Report an Animal Bite

Related FAQs

• How do I report a dog or cat bite?

  If you or someone else was bitten by a dog or cat, seek immediate medical attention. Call 911 if your injury is severe.

  • After seeking medical care, call the Florida Department of Health (DOH) in Miami-Dade County Epidemiology Disease Control and Immunization Services at (305) 470-5660 and/or Miami-Dade County Animal Control at 311 to report the bite. 
  • You can complete an Animal Bite Report online so that an Animal Control Officer from Animal Services can be dispatched to investigate.
  • If the person received medical attention from a private doctor or ER, the medical staff is required to report the incident to the local Health Department.

   

• What will happen to the dog or cat that bit me?
  • If the cat or dog appeared healthy at the time you were bitten, it can be confined by its owner for 10-days and observed. Anti-rabies shots will probably not be needed.
  • If the dog or cat does not have an owner, it will be quarantined at ASD for up to a 10-day period.
  • You should seek medical advice about the need for anti-rabies shots.
  • If a dog or cat, appeared ill at the time it bit you or becomes ill during the 10 day quarantine, it should be evaluated by a veterinarian for signs of rabies and you should seek medical advice about the need for anti-rabies shots.
  • No person in the United States has ever contracted rabies from a dog or cat held under quarantine for 10 days. The quarantine period is a precaution against the remote possibility that an animal may appear healthy, but actually be sick with rabies.