Livestock and Pets

Yes, per the Flathead County Rabies Control Program - Section 6, "The owner of every animal that is 3 months of age or older shall have the animal vaccinated before the animal is 5 months old and thereafter in accordance with the vaccine manufacturer recommendation." 

If you're not sure if your pet is up to date on their rabies vaccination you should always call your pet's veterinarian and ask. If you have moved and no longer see the same veterinarian, then call the previous office that you may have visited and ask for your pet's record. 

If your pet is over 12 weeks old and has never been vaccinated, then they are due for their first vaccine and should visit a veterinarian to establish care. 

For animals that have been vaccinated in the past, their vaccine will either expire after 1 year or 3 years, depending on the vaccine product used. To determine which vaccine was used and when it expires, you will need to contact the establishment where your pet was vaccinated. 

For bats, please visit our bat page for more information on capturing the bat and bringing it in for testing. For wild animals, please call our communicable disease line at 406-751-8117. 

A bite report is a form that is filled out by mandatory reporters for any bite that occurs from an animal that could potentially have rabies. This includes dogs, cats, ferrets, livestock and wild animals. FCCHD and animal control perform follow up for all bite reports to confirm that the animal does not have rabies. 

FCCHD is required to follow up on all bites that occur from animals that could potentially have rabies. While the likelihood of domestic animals contracting rabies in Flathead County is low, it is still possible, so all bite reports have to be investigated. 

All animals that have bitten another animal or human are monitored for 10 days. Our staff will contact the animal owner after the bite has occurred and ask for information on the animal and their rabies vaccination status. We then instruct the pet owners to have their pet quarantined at home for a 10-day period following the bite. After the 10 days have passed, we will call and confirm that there is no concern for rabies transmission and will close out the report.

It is important to note that there are certain circumstances that may require the 10-day quarantine to occur at the local Animal Shelter or a veterinarian facility as approved by the  Health Officer. In general, the investigation associated with the report will help determine the appropriate location for the quarantine.  

Animals cannot transmit rabies unless the virus is present in saliva. The virus is usually only present in the saliva of an infected dog, cat or ferret once signs of rabies begin, or at maximum three to four days before. If a dog, cat or ferret remains healhty at the end of a  10-day quarantine period there is no risk of rabies transmission to the bite victim and unnecessary post-exposure prophylaxis can be avoided. 

If your pet becomes ill during this period, your pet will need to be seen by a veterinarian. The veterinarian must be informed that the symptomatic animal is currently under rabies quarantine due to a bite or exposure investigation. The Health Department must also be notified if your pet becomes ill. 

For potential exposures to livestock, we recommend that owners reach out to their veterinarian and/or the Montana Department of Livestock. 

Livestock showing concerning symptoms are generally managed by the veterinarian in coordination with the Montana Department of Livestock. If there is a potential or confirmed human exposure, the ehalth department will also need to be involved.