Animal Bites in Colusa County

Animal Bites Fact Sheet

Animal bites cause serious injuries and many bites are preventable. It is important to know how to prevent animal bites and to teach children how to be safe around animals.

If you look dog bites alone in the United States, this is a serious cause of trauma and cost.

• About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year.
• Almost one in five of those who are bitten (a total of 885,000) require medical attention for dog bite-related injuries and about half of these are children.
• In 2006, more than 31,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery as a result of being bitten by dogs.

Cat bites are also very common and can cause serious infections. Cats are also more often not vaccinated for rabies by their owners and this increases the risk of exposure to rabies if the cat bites a person. All cats should be vaccinated, including strictly indoor cats. Indoor cats have become infected when a bat has gotten into a house or garage.

All animal bites are required by California State regulations to be reported (Title 17, California Code of Regulations [CCR], §2606).

To report animal bites in Colusa County, phone 458-0200

Healthcare Providers are to complete the “Colusa County Animal Bite/Exposure Report For Use By Healthcare Facilities” and submit it to Animal Control at Fax 530-458-4697.

Find more information on Colusa County's Animal Control Services on their webpage.

Reported Animal Bites in Colusa County

Sources: Colusa County Local Rabies Control Activities Annual Reports 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

• CDC Dog Bite Prevention