Guam § 34302 - Rabies Prevention.

§ 34302. Rabies Prevention.

(a) Quarantine Unit. The Department of Agriculture shall

maintain a dog or cat quarantine unit, provide and carry out a

quarantine program to receive incoming dogs or cats upon

arrival on the island, ensure that such dogs or cats are examined

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within twenty-four (24) hours upon arrival and twenty-four (24)

hours prior to release from quarantine by a licensed veterinarian

and provide for the health and well-being of such dogs or cats

for the duration of their quarantine, including the administering

of necessary immunization shots by a licensed veterinarian at the

quarantine unit at the expense of the owner.

(b)(1) Quarantine of Dogs and Cats. All dogs and cats

brought into Guam shall be subject to quarantine for a

period of time approved by the Director pursuant to this

Section.

(A) Requirements for the entry to and release

from quarantine of dogs and cats brought into Guam,

shall be a maximum of one hundred twenty (120) days.

(B) Any and all costs, including care and keep,

shall be borne by the dog or cat owner.

(C) At the time of release from quarantine, the pet

must have completed not less than two (2) properly

documented inactivated rabies vaccinations, and the

most recent rabies vaccination must be current.

(D) The pet must also be current for other routine

vaccinations as established by the Territorial

Veterinarian.

(2) Quarantine Length. Pets that have received a

properly implanted approved identification microchip and

have a protective titer against rabies, as documented by a

laboratory approved by the Director of Agriculture, may

spend less than the full one hundred twenty (120) days in

enforced quarantine.

(A) The quarantine period is calculated from the

date the blood arrives at the approved laboratory.

(i) If the animal receives an import permit

and arrives on Guam before the one hundred

twenty (120) days has passed, the animal may be

allowed to spend only those remaining days in

enforced quarantine, rather than the full one

hundred twenty (120) days.

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(ii) a. If one hundred twenty (120) or more

days have passed since the blood with a

protective titer arrived at the laboratory, and

if all other requirements have been met, the

animal must complete on Guam a quarantine

period of five (5) days or less and a physical

examination by a veterinarian approved by

the Director of Agriculture.

b. The five (5) day or less quarantine

program requires the following pre-arrival

requirements for each pet before the pet may

be released:

1. Vaccinations. Two (2) rabies

vaccinations, with the last vaccination

administered no more than twelve (12)

months prior to arrival if a one (1) year

vaccine was administered, or not more

than thirty-six (36) months prior to

arrival if a three (3) year or longer

vaccine was administered. The two (2)

vaccinations may not be administered

within thirty (30) days of each other;

and the last vaccine must be

administered no less than thirty (30)

days prior to the pet’s entry into Guam.

2. Microchip. A microchip

approved by the Territorial Veterinarian

for identification purposes must be

implanted in the pet.

3. Blood Serum Tests. Blood serum

OIE-FAVN test results or the results of

a test recognized by the World

Organization for Animal Health as being

able to determine levels of rabies

antibodies must indicate a sufficient

level of rabies antibodies. Such results

shall be from a laboratory approved by

the Director of Agriculture

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4. Pre-arrival Waiting Period. The

pre-arrival waiting period determines

the duration of enforced quarantine on

Guam only for those properly

vaccinated animals with an approved

microchip and a properly documented

protective titer against rabies. If such an

animal arrives on Guam less than one

hundred twenty (120) days after the

blood arrived at the approved

laboratory, then the animal must spend

the remaining days in enforced

quarantine on Guam unless the pet

qualifies for the home quarantine

option.

5. Home Quarantine Option. After

completing the initial five (5) days or

less of enforced quarantine on Guam,

those animals with a high titer of

protective rabies antibodies (at least

twice the minimum titer of 0.05 I.U. per

milliliter of blood) may complete the

remainder of the post-arrival quarantine

at home, provided the animal originated

in the United States, or has been

screened by a military veterinarian prior

to arrival on Guam, and is in compliance

with items (1.) through (4.) of this

Subsection. The owner must keep the

pet isolated from other animals during

this time. Failure to do so can result in

the pet being placed in enforced

quarantine for the remainder of the

quarantine period at the owner’s

expense. At the end of the home

quarantine period, the animal requires

another physical examination by an

approved veterinarian for final release

from quarantine.

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6. Documentation Submission. Pet

owners must submit evidence of

required vaccinations and blood serum

tests at least ten (10) days prior to the

pet’s arrival. These items must be sent

directly from the laboratory, not hand-

carried by the pet owner.

(3) (A) The Department of Agriculture may require at

any time within one hundred twenty (120) days after

arrival on Guam that results from off-island laboratory

tests be validated.

(B) If not confirmed to the satisfaction of the

Department of Agriculture, then the Department of

Agriculture may, pursuant to rules and regulations,

place the pet in further quarantine or take other

appropriate action.

(C) The Department of Agriculture is authorized

to promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with

this Subsection.

(c) Exemption from quarantine. Notwithstanding any other

provision of this Article:

(1) Certain dogs. Seeing-eye dogs serving blind

masters or hearing-aid dogs serving deaf persons and dogs

which are the official property of a federal, state or

territorial government agency may, in the absence of

evidence that they have been exposed to rabies, be granted

exemptions from the quarantine provisions of this Article,

provided they

(A) Comply with all other requirements for entry

into the territory;

(B) Remain the property of the individual or

agency whose property they were given when granted

such exemption;

(C) Remain free of signs or symptoms of rabies;

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(D) Are made available for examination by an

officer at any reasonable time.

(2) Rabies-free areas. The Director shall establish a

list of rabies-free areas as designated by the World Health

Organization and will constantly review the status of the

rabies-free areas and may remove a designated rabies-free

area from the list if it is shown, to the satisfaction of the

Director, that the area has not remained free from rabies or

has not maintained stringent entry and quarantine

requirements. Dogs or cats originating from areas

designated as rabies-free at the time the pet was placed in

transit to Guam will be exempted from quarantine;

provided, that they comply with all other requirements for

entry into Guam.

(3) Special veterinary care. Dogs or cats brought to

Guam for the specific purpose of veterinary medical care

may be granted exemptions from quarantine; provided, that

(A) The dog or cat is consigned to a licensed

veterinarian;

(B) The dog or cat meets all other requirements

for entry into the territory;

(C) The dog or cat is returned to its point of origin

as soon as it is healthy enough to travel;

(D) The dog or cat remain in the custody of the

treating veterinarian during its entire stay in the

territory.

(d) Import restriction. The Director shall establish a list of

restricted areas based on its high incidence of rabies, and may

deny entry to any dog or cat coming from these areas. The

Director will periodically review the status of these areas and

may lift the entrance restriction if the incidence of rabies in these

areas have decreased to a level acceptable to the Director.

(e) Entry requirements. All incoming dogs or cats shall

comply with all entry requirements before they will be allowed

to enter Guam. Such entry requirements shall be in accordance

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with regulations adopted under the Administrative Adjudication

Law.

(f) Holding period. A dog or cat will be declared ineligible

to enter the territory if it fails to meet the entry requirements

established by the Director pursuant to subsection (e), supra.

(1) Such dog or cat shall remain in the custody of the

carrier in a designated inspection area at the port of entry

until such time as it shall leave Guam, or shall be humanely

disposed of by the Pet Control Unit.

(2) Such holding period shall in no case exceed

seventy-two (72) hours without the consent of the Director.

(3) (A) Any expense incurred by the government of

Guam during or as a result of such holding shall be the

responsibility of, and chargeable to the carrier.

(B) In addition, the carrier shall be fined an

amount not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500) and

not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) for

boarding such dog or cat without entry permit.