Rabies
What is rabies?
Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that affects the nervous system and it is transmitted by the saliva of an infected animal through a bite or when the infected saliva comes in contact with the mucous membrane (eyes, nose, or mouth) or an opening in the skin. It kills almost any animal or mammal infected with rabies.
Only mammals get rabies. Skunks, bats, foxes, raccoons, dogs, cats, cattle, horse and other livestock animals are most likely to get it.
Rabies can be prevented in cats, dogs, and livestock with a rabies vaccine.
Stages of Rabies
- Furious Stage: The animal becomes irritable and with the slightest provocation may become vicious and aggressive and also have the tendency to be hyper-reactive and bite at anything near.
- Paralytic Stage: It is caused by damage to motor neurons leading to paralysis in the rear limbs and drooling of the mouth. Death is usually caused by respiratory arrest.
Signs of Rabies
It is not always possible to determine if an animal is infected with rabies through simple observation. Signs which can lead to suspect that an animal is diagnosed with rabies are:
- Change in behavior;
- Excess drooling and foaming at the mouth;
- Nervousness;
- Aggressiveness;
- Depression;
- Inappetence;
- Circling,
- Altered vocalization;
- Seizures;
- Difficulty eating, drinking, and swallowing;
- Incoordination of hindquarters—unable to stand; and
- Abnormal behavior such as:
- wild animals losing fear of humans, and
- animals normally active at night being seen during the day.
Prevention
Rabies prevention can be done through vaccinations. It is unwise to await the occurrence of a disease before vaccinating, as vaccines take 10-14 days before they provide immunity.
- Rabies vaccine is to be administered from 3 months of age. Booster at 60 days then once every 12 months.
- Always read instructions on each bottle for dosage and route of administration.
What You Can Do!
- Vaccinate your dogs, cats, & livestock
- Vaccinating animals is the single most effective way of protecting your livestock, your pets, and family from rabies.
- Restrict animals to your property and don’t leave garbage or pet food uncovered outside or uncovered as it may attract wild or stray animals.
- Report to BLPA, BAHA, or Health Department if your pet or livestock is attacked or bitten by a wild animal.
- Report unusual behavior of livestock to BLPA, BAHA, or Health Department.
