Background Animal bites, particularly in rabies-endemic regions like Asia, pose significant public health threats. While rabies control measures have reduced human deaths in Sri Lanka, the disease remains endemic.

The treatment of animal bite victims in Sri Lanka results in substantial costs, including expenses for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which is notably higher than animal control measures, and patients additionally suffer income loss due to work absence.

Objectives Aimed to study the epidemiology of animal bite cases attending the Rabies Prophylaxis Unit of National Hospital Kandy.

Methods This six-month cross-sectional study involves 384 patients, utilizing interviewer-administered questionnaires for data collection. A systematic random sampling was employed.

Results This study examined the demographics, behavior, and clinical aspects of 384 animal bite cases. Results showed a male predominance, with 53% male cases. Among them, 19.7% were aged 10–19, and 16.7% were under 10. Dog bites constituted the majority (79.5%), followed by cat bites (19.5%). Unknown dogs caused 19% of cases and 36.2% involved vaccinated dogs. 86.3% had no history of prior bites.

Severity was assessed, with 67.5% classified as class III. A significant portion (72.6%) were provoked bites. Lower limbs were the most common bite site (61%), and students (31.2%) topped the occupation category, followed by manual workers (28.4%) and housewives (22.5%). Most bites (61.2%) occurred at home. 87.8% of the biting animals were healthy, with 1.8% dead and 0.3% killed.

Regarding medical care, 76.8% sought help within 24 hours, 11.3% within 24–48 hours, and 11.9% after 48 hours. First aid practices included washing wounds with water or soap (96.7%), wound bandaging (18%), and Ayurvedic/home remedies (17%).

Conclusions This study highlights the urgent public health issue of animal bites in Sri Lanka. Findings revealed gender disparities, age patterns, bite characteristics, severity, and medical-seeking behavior, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions and awareness campaigns.