Pet owners would get plain notice before rabies testing

In New Jersey, a dead domestic companion animal could not be sent for rabies testing until the owner gets a clear notice first. The bill would require the Department of Health’s VPH-35 Rabies Testing Notification Form before testing begins, with an electronic copy too if the owner’s email address is available.

The notice would have to come at the first opportunity, before any testing starts. That puts the owner in the loop before the process moves ahead, instead of after decisions about the animal have already been made.

What the owner has to be told

The disclosure is meant to spell out why testing is necessary and what comes next. Owners would have to be told, both verbally and in writing, what testing protocol will be used and how the animal’s body will be handled and disposed of.

The required notice also covers decapitation and medical-waste disposal. For pet owners already dealing with a dead animal, the bill tries to make the process less opaque and less jarring.

The enforcement hook

The bill gives the notice real teeth by treating noncompliance as a consumer-fraud violation. That means the disclosure rule is not just a courtesy or an internal guideline, but a legal requirement tied to consumer protection law.

It also creates an optional training path for veterinarians. That pairs the new disclosure rules with a way for the people handling rabies testing to get more guidance on how the process is supposed to work.