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Putnam County

Department of Health

A PHAB Accredited Health Department

The Putnam County Department of Health is made of several divisions all working towards improving and protecting the health of the entire community, through the lens of equity.

Rabies

Rabies Vaccine Clinic Information

The Putnam County Department of Health sponsors three free rabies vaccinations clinics each year for cats, dogs and ferrets of Putnam County residents.  Ensuring pets are current on their vaccination makes them safe and also keeps their family and community safe. Clinics are held each March, July and November.

Capture The Bat

Rabies will result in death if it is left untreated in humans and domestic pet mammals. If a county resident (or visitor) has a potential rabies exposure, our trained rabies program staff makes a decision regarding treatment. Our nurses work with area health care providers and the exposed individuals to ensure accurate and timely completion of Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis.

Nurses and environmental staff work with the local hospital and area health care providers to follow county residents through their Rabies prophylaxis regimen and completion of this protocol, in addition to providing educational presentations to the community as needed.

Additional information about rabies can be found through the New York State Department of Health or CDC.

Veterinarians & Healthcare Providers

To report a possible rabies exposure in a person or pet, please complete the form below and fax it to 845-278-7921. All animal bites suspected of transmitting rabies are required to be reported to the health department within 24 hours by calling 845-808-1390. If calling after hours, holidays or weekends, dial 845-808-1390 and press 3.

Veterinarians requesting testing due to a bite or symptomatic animal, or who are looking for assistance with rabies titer testing for staff should call 845-808-1390.

Healthcare providers looking to discuss rabies treatment or prophylaxis for a patient should call 845-808-1390.

Report Exposure

Feral Cat Task Force

The Putnam County Department of Health partnered with Putnam AdvoCats, Inc. to create a Feral Cat Taskforce which involves the trapping, neutering, vaccinating and release of feral cats in the area. This is an attempt to address a growing health concern in the county. Feral cats are cats that do not have owners and may be strays and account for a significant number of required rabies treatments. The Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) concept is a humane and effective approach used for decades in the US after being proven in

Europe. Scientific studies show that this practice improves the lives of feral cats, improves their relationships with the people who live near them, and decreases the size of colonies over time. Working with volunteers from Putnam AdvoCats, Inc., and area veterinarians, the ultimate goal is to decrease the population of feral cats in our community over time and thereby reducing the risk of rabies. For help with feral cats or to report a feral cat colony, please call the health department at 845-808-1390.

Rabies F.A.Q.s

Pet Owner F.A.Q.s

Contact Us

  • Phone:
    845-808-1390
  • Fax:
    845-278-7921
  • Fax (Nursing):
    845-279-4104
  • Toll free (TTY) for the Deaf, Hard
    of Hearing, and Speech Impaired:
    Dial 7-1-1 or 800-662-1220
  • Email:
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
In the event of an emergency, Health Department staff are available 24/7. Please call 845-808-1390 to report a public health emergency, rabies exposure, communicable disease, water outage or sewer overflow.

If you are a member of the media and would like to contact the health department, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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