Rabies Information

Information provided by Cook County Animal & Rabies Control

Rabies

The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control reminds residents to make sure pets are current on rabies and all other vaccines. It is important to vaccinate both dogs and cats. The department hosts low-cost rabies clinics around Cook County to ensure that residents have access to life-saving vaccinations for their pets. Click here for a list of rabies & microchip clinics.

The department also urges residents not to handle any wild animals. If you find a sick or dead bat, contact your local animal control or police department.

An average of approximately 25 rabid bats are found in Cook County each year.

Rabies is always fatal to unvaccinated pets. It is a preventable virus that causes inflammation of the brain in mammals. Rabies is transmitted through saliva and spreads when an infected animal scratches or bites another animal or human.

The incubation period for rabies is usually one to three months. It is important to seek medical treatment after a bite from an unknown animal because once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal. Symptoms of rabies may include: an extreme or irrational fear of water, drooling, excessive salivation, dizziness, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, delirium, fear, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms, paralysis, sensitivity to light and aggression.

If You Have Been Bitten

Bites to humans and companion animals must be reported to the local police department or to the Cook County Sheriff’s office for unincorporated areas. A Cook County Bite Report will be completed by the law enforcement agency and forwarded to the Animal and Rabies Control office. Compliance for bite protocols are enforced by the Department of Animal and Rabies Control.

If a bite (scratch) occurs:

• Contact your local police department and inform the police that your pet bit someone.
• The biting animal must be examined by a veterinarian immediately and the veterinarian must be informed that the animal was involved in a bite incident.
• The biting animal must not be killed, sold, moved or otherwise disposed of.
• The biting animal must not receive a rabies shot until the last day of the observation period.

Rabies Tags & Replacement Fees

Cook County residents can now print and complete the Rabies Tag Order Form to order a rabies or replacement tag. Replacement tags can be obtained if the current tag is lost or if the resident moved from another location. The cost is $6 for a 1-year tag and $18 for a 3-year tag. To obtain a rabies or replacement tag by mail or in-person, please provide the following documentation:

• • Rabies tag order form
  • Rabies certificate from veterinarian
  • A copy of one of the following documents: state issued identification, current lease or utility bill (first page only)
  • Payment. Acceptable forms of payment include:
    • Mail: Check or money order. Do not mail cash.
    • In-person: Check, money order or cash.
  • Please make checks or money orders payable to: Cook County Animal and Rabies Control.