Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #98645

Brian C. Hobbs, BS, RS, Environmental Health, Polk County Health Department, 100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 180, Balsam Lake, WI 54810, 715-485-8500, brianh@co.polk.wi.us

Animal hoarding has been a recurring problem in Polk County Wisconsin over the past five years. With its rural setting and lack of local animal control legislation, the Polk County Health Department has dealt with numerous animal hoarding, abuse, and neglect cases. The issues surrounding this problem have posed challenges for the Environmental Health Sanitarian. Issues around legal search constraints, animal seizure, criminal charges, condemnation, and environmental clean-up, have all played a major role in effective procedural development. Polk County has received national attention on two of its larger cases; the first with over 275 Chihuahuas and more recently a residence with 384 cats. Much has been learned from these extreme cases. Areas of learning include identification of human health hazards, coordination of local and state agency involvement, vicious animal control measures, euthanization methods, exposure concerns for occupants as well as respondents, media relations, and clean-up of contamination. New methods of enforcement have been developed including court ordered euthanization and on-site containment of diseased animals using mass euthanization. In addition, creation of a county wide animal control ordinance is currently under county board consideration. The focus of this session will be to share information with other rural agencies on the Environmental Sanitarians role in animal hoarding cases. Policy development examples, case photos, and documentation of procedures will be provided.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to articulate effective procedures for dealing with many aspects of an animal hoarding case.

Keywords: Animal Waste, Environmental Health Hazards

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.