Rabies is caused by a virus that attacks the brain, resulting in a wide range of symptoms. The rabies virus, which is present in saliva, is usually spread by animal bites and can infect any warm-blooded mammal, including people.
Risk factors and detection
The rabies virus exists in the wildlife population, creating a source of infection for domestic dogs. So dogs who spend time outdoors are especially vulnerable. Depending on where you live, raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes are the primary carriers.
The virus travels from the site of the bite, along nerves, to the brain, causing inflammation, or encephalitis. The incubation period—from the time the dog is bitten to when you first see symptoms—ranges from one week to eight months.
Because the virus attacks the brain, rabies can cause a range of neurologic abnormalities. Early signs may include behavioral changes such as aggression or unusual shyness and withdrawal from people and activities. In the furious form of rabies, animals become extremely aggressive, attacking anything that moves. In the paralytic form of the disease, the throat muscles become paralyzed, and the animal has trouble swallowing, causing excessive drooling. Partial- or full-body paralysis usually follows either form. Symptoms progress quickly, and most animals die within seven days. Rabies is always fatal in animals.
If your dog exhibits any abnormal neurologic signs (especially if his rabies vaccinations aren't current and he's been exposed to wildlife or other pets), take him to the veterinarian immediately.
The only way to diagnose rabies in animals is by examining brain tissue, so any unvaccinated animal who might be infected should be euthanatized and tested. Whenever a wild animal bites an unvaccinated dog, the dog should be euthanatized, unless wildlife officials can capture the other animal for testing. The other option for dogs: Strict isolation for six months, with vaccination one month before release.
When a wild animal bites a vaccinated dog, the dog should be revaccinated immediately and observed closely by the owner for 45 days. If your healthy, vaccinated dog bites a person, your veterinarian should confine and observe him for 10 days.
Contact your veterinarian if you have any questions regarding the status of your dog's rabies vaccination or these precautionary measures.
Treatment and prevention
There is no treatment for rabies in animals. That's why vaccinations are so important. The initial vaccination is administered around 12 weeks of age, and a booster is administered one year later. Depending on your state ordinances and the type of vaccine used, your veterinarian will administer booster vaccinations every one to three years.
Take the threat of rabies seriously. Don't let your dog roam outside—especially in areas inhabited by wildlife. And don't handle wild animals, no matter how cute or harmless they look. Be sure to contact your own physician immediately if a pet or any wild animal bites you; rabies also is fatal in people.
