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Rabies & Tick Submissions

Aspetuck Health District accepts tick and animal specimen submissions to help monitor and prevent the spread of rabies and tickborne diseases in our communities.

Tick Submissions

Residents of Easton, Weston, and Westport who would like to submit a tick for identification & testing to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) can complete the tick form and drop it off at the Health District. Connecticut residents can also send ticks directly to CAES themselves. Please note that the tick testing program is intended for the identification/testing of ticks on humans.

Things to Know:

  • There is a $10 service charge for AHD processing.
  • Tick should be packaged in a sealed plastic bag. Do not use tape on the tick.
  • All ticks are sent to CAES for identification and testing. Only female deer ticks and nymphs are tested for Lyme, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Borellia Miyamotoi & Powassan Disease.
  • Test results are sent from CAES to you via email.
  • Notify your health care provider that you have submitted a tick for laboratory testing. Only you and your provider can determine if prophylactic treatment is right for you.
  • Reporting time for laboratory results can vary from one to two weeks.  
  • Aspetuck Health District is not responsible for ticks that get lost or misplaced in the mail or by CAES.

Instructions if sending tick directly to CAES:

Preparing the tick:

  • Do not put the tick on tape.
  • Place the tick in a container that cannot be crushed. If you don’t have one, a sealed plastic bag is okay.
  • Do not use glass or other breakable containers.
  • Do not package the tick with anything else, such as paper towels, cotton, plant pieces, bandages, or other materials.
  • Do not put the tick in any liquid, including water or alcohol. All ticks should be sent in dry.

Preparing the envelope:

  • Tightly seal the crush-proof container that holds the tick and package it in a padded envelope.
  • If a padded envelope is not available, a small sheet of bubble wrap can be added to a regular envelope to help protect the tick from being damaged.
  • Please request the mail carrier to handle the envelope containing the tick by hand and not through a machine. You can write “Please hand sort” on the envelope to help achieve this.

Helpful Links:

Rabies Testing

Bats, Raccoons & Other Animals:

If you are bitten or exposed (mucous membranes or open wound contamination by saliva) to a potentially rabid animal, you should first seek medical care at your primary care doctor’s office or the Emergency Room.

  1. You must first call the Health District at 203-227-9571 if you have a dead bat or another animal that may need to be submitted to the State of CT for rabies testing. Do not come to the office with an animal until speaking directly with AHD staff. Note that only dead animals can be accepted,
  2. The nurse will discuss the potential exposure and complete the paperwork to have the animal tested at the State Public Health Laboratory in Rocky Hill, CT.
  3. A courier service is available to transport the animal from the Health District to the State of Connecticut lab for a $100 fee payable by the resident.
  4. If you have a live bat, please call a Nuisance Wildlife Control Officer or consult a veterinarian to have the bat euthanized.

When to call Animal Control:

  • You have a sick or injured animal on your property
  • Your pet has tangled with an animal and has killed or maimed it

Local Animal Control contact information:

When to call the Health District:

You should call AHD when you have questions about an exposure to a potentially rabid animal. However, if you are bitten or exposed, you should first seek medical care at your primary care doctor’s office or the Emergency Room.

Testing of Animals:

  • If there has been human exposure to the animal, it should be tested for rabies
  • If there is no human exposure, and your pet is up-to-date on vaccinations, there is usually no need to test the dead animal
  • Testing may be considered when a pet is not up to date on its vaccinations

How to package animal for submission and testing:

Helpful Links: