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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealth Board Presentation Notes Animal Services Highlights A Short Presentation to the Health Board April 26, 2017 Animal Services 1. Core Services a. Animal and rabies control b. Animal protection c. Animal sheltering 2. Scope of Service a. All of Orange County b. Including municipalities (aside from Mebane) c. Unified Animal Ordinance recently enacted in recognition of scope of service 3. Governance a. Animal Services Advisory Board i. Works with staff to advise commissioners on policies and programs ii. Health Board Veterinarian sits on the ASAB b. Animal Services Hearing Panel Pool i. Provides appeals of decisions made by Animal Services Director ii. Examples include dangerous animal declarations, order for the removal of nuisance animals, revocation of kennel permits, etc. Did you know that fewer than 3000 animals were admitted to Animal Services in 2015 and 2016 as a result of our proactive approach to pet overpopulation and that last year our “live release rate” was 90 percent? In the not too distant past, annual admissions ranged from 4000 to 5000 and the number of animals euthanized is at a historic low. Rabies Control 1. Delegated authority from Health Director to Animal Services Director a. Management of animal bites to people (10 day confinement) b. Management of rabies exposures to pets (varied) c. Management of human rabies exposures is the Health Department’s sole responsibility Animal Services Highlights Page 2 i. Animal Services refers all exposures and suspected exposures to Communicable Disease Nurses ii. These nurses assess risk and make treatment recommendations d. Because the authority is delegated there is consultation with the Health Director when there are any questions 2. Caseload a. We had 242 bite cases last year and in 2015 there were 226. b. We investigated 111 rabies exposures last year and in 2015, we investigated 143. 3. Shared Policies and Procedures a. Post-exposure rabies management policy for cats and dogs recently updated b. Policy is based upon general authority of Health Director and recommendations made in the 2016 Rabies Compendium, which changed some longstanding protocols for booster vaccinations and quarantine periods for cats and dogs c. Changes in state law are (finally) expected to be made in this legislative session 4. Delegation Agreement a. To date the delegation has been informal rather than written b. A staff attorney is currently working on an agreement to remedy this situation. Did you know that in the late 1990s Animal Control had a dedicated “rabies line,” that is, a telephone number for residents to call if they had questions about rabies. This was the time when eastern raccoon rabies erupted in the region. In 1997 Orange County had 106 laboratory confirmed rabies cases. Did you know that pets are now “co-located” at Red Cross Emergency Shelters in Orange County using a Companion Animal Mobile Equipment Trailer (CAMET)? Pet co-location was developed by Emergency Services, Animal Services and the Health Department in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Rabies Prevention 1. Conduct of low-cost ($10) rabies vaccination clinics a. One per year required by NCGS b. Ordinarily we offer a dozen or more i. One and 3 year rabies vaccinations are now offered Animal Services Highlights Page 3 ii. Also offered are microchips ($25) c. Annually, more than 1000 dogs and cats are vaccinated at these clinics 2. Certified Rabies Vaccinators (CRVs) a. Animal Services staff appointed by Health Director pursuant to NCGS i. Currently, there are 5CRVs. ii. Certification requires class and practical training b. CRVs administers 1 year rabies vaccinations (only) i. May provide vaccinations at low cost clinics ii. Routinely provide rabies vaccinations to shelter animals 3. Community Outreach and Awareness a. Media advisory for each laboratory confirmed rabies case b. Promote events such as World Rabies Day c. Communicate with local veterinary clinics about rabies and rabies management Did you know that Animal Control used to be part of the Health Department—specifically, a section within Environmental Health—and that the Health Board used to conduct potentially dangerous dog appeals? With the creation of Animal Services as a free standing department in 2005, all Animal Control staff became county employees instead of state employee and appeals are now conducted by panels formed from the Animal Services Hearing Panel Pool. Free Roaming Cats 1. Cats are front and center in current efforts to manage companion animals a. By and large they have remained “second class citizens” b. Cats have not fared well in community animal shelters c. An alternative “community cats” approach has emerged i. It is varied but increasingly focused on return animals to the community rather than keeping them at animal shelters ii. Animal are brought to shelters only for health checks, some vaccinations and sterilization iii. If healthy, they are returned to the area they came from (“return to field”) Animal Services Highlights Page 4 2. Orange County Animal Services has developed a five year plan for managing “free roaming cats” that includes several key components a. Enhanced public awareness about the plight and need of cats b. Encouraging responsible cat ownership (or guardianship) i. Spaying and neutering as well as routine vet care ii. Confinement and environmental enrichment c. Collaboration with community partners to provide fosters for the offspring of feral and semi-feral cats so that they may be socialized and homed as a pet d. Area or neighborhood pilot projects that provide spaying and neutering and rabies vaccinations 3. Cats are complex and challenging for our own and other communities and they demanding responsible innovation in management techniques a. Solutions need to reduce unnecessary euthanasia and reduce the number of cats without one or more household affiliations b. Solutions must be equally attentive to concerns with songbird depredation, nuisance concerns, and of course, public health. Animal Services Mission Animal Services strives to meet the needs of residents by working with volunteers and other partners to deliver cost-effective and integrated services for animal sheltering, animal control and animal protection that ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of humans, pets and the community as a whole. Addressing the problem of pet overpopulation with a proactive and positive approach is an integral ingredient of the department’s mission. Prepared by Bob Marotto, Animal Services Director