Municipal Animal Inspector

The primary duty of the Animal Inspector is the control of rabies. The Animal Inspector that issues quaratines and determines the severity of risk to the virus.

Domestic mammals that may have come in contact with the rabies virus must either be quarantined or destroyed. This includes all animals with unknown wounds of origin.

Any domestic mammal which bites or scratches a human or other domestic mammal must be quarantined for a minimum of at least ten days, regardless of their vaccine status.

The Animal Inspector must ensure that all animals (wild or domestic) which must be tested for rabies are euthanized and submitted for rabies testing at the State Laboratory.

The Animal Inspector is responsible for annual barn and livestock inspections per Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 129. The Inspector is also responsible for inspections of any out of state imports such as cattle or llamas.

The Municipal Animal Inspector may also be called to assist with quarantines of domestic animals in case of an outbreak of any particular disease in the local area.

Questions about Human Exposure Risk to Rabies should be directed to the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences (BIDLS) at (617) 983-6800.