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MINUTES-Draft <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br />April 26, 2017 <br />S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda & Abstracts\2017 Agenda & Abstracts/ April Page 2 <br /> <br />A. Animal Services Update <br /> <br />Bob Marotto, Director of Animal Services, gave a presentation on the Animal Services along <br />with some fun facts. Below are some of the highlights. <br /> <br />• Overview of Animal Services <br />o Core services <br /> Animal and rabies control, animal protection and animal sheltering <br />o Scope of service <br /> All of Orange County including municipalities (aside from Mebane) <br />o Governance <br /> Animal Services Advisory Board <br /> Works with staff to advise commissioners on policies and programs <br /> Animal Services Hearing Panel Pool <br /> Provides appeals of decisions made by the Animal Services Director <br /> Examples include dangerous animal declarations, order for the removal of <br />nuisance animal, etc. <br /> <br />• Rabies Control <br />o With delegated authority from the OCHD’s health director to the Animal Services <br />director to: <br /> Manage animal bites to people (10 day confinement) regardless of <br />vaccination status and rabies exposure to pets (human rabies exposures is <br />the health department’s sole responsibility) <br /> Refer all exposures and suspected exposures to Communicable Disease <br />nurses that assess risk and make treatment recommendations <br />o In 2016, Animal Services had 242 bite cases and investigated 111 rabies <br />exposures. <br /> <br />• Rabies Prevention <br />o Conduct low-cost rabies vaccination clinics throughout the year with 1 and 3-year <br />rabies vaccinations offered with more than 1000 dogs and cats vaccinated <br />annually at these clinics <br />o Microchips are also available <br />o Promote events such as World Rabies Day and communicates with local <br />veterinary clinics about rabies and rabies management <br /> <br />• Free Roaming Cats <br />o Huge issue in the community and have not fared well in community animal <br />shelters with only 4% being recovered by an owner <br />o OC Animal Services has developed a 5-year plan for managing “free <br />roaming cats” that includes several key components: <br /> Encouraging responsible cat ownership (or guardianship) <br /> Spaying and neutering as well as routine vet care <br /> Confinement and environmental enrichment <br /> Collaboration with community partners to provide fosters for the offspring of <br /> feral and semi-feral cats so that they may be socialized and homed as a pet <br /> Area or neighborhood pilot projects that provide spaying and neutering and <br /> rabies vaccinations