Rabies Protection
(information from American Humane Association)
What is Rabies?
 Rabies is a virus-borne disease of mammals, especially carnivores,
which is commonly transmitted through bite wounds. When the virus
enters the body, it travels along the nerves to the spinal cord and
up to the brain, affecting its ability to function and ultimately
causing death. The virus, carried in the salivary glands, can be
transmitted when a rabid animal bites another animal or human.
How Do You Get Rabies?
You don’t have to get bitten to get rabies. The virus may also
be acquired, although infrequently, through a mucous membrane, such
as the lining of the nose and eyes, or when infected saliva comes in
contact with a cut or open wound.
 The main wild-animal carriers of rabies are raccoons,
skunks, foxes and bats. The main domestic carriers are dogs and cats
who have not been vaccinated for the disease.
Because vaccines protect
dogs, cats and ferrets, rabies has become primarily a disease of
wildlife in the US.
 How Does Rabies Affect Animals?
When most of us think of rabies, we imagine a dog drooling and barking
viciously. While these are some signs of rabies in dogs, different
species can display different symptoms and still be just as dangerous.
“Furious” rabies,
the most familiar form of the virus, is characterized by uncontrolled
viciousness and excitability. Animals
may roam and wander great distances, vocalize constantly, and attack
without reason. Dogs especially may eat unusual objects, like wood,
and avoid human contact. As the disease progresses, the animal may
develop muscular incoordination, disorientation, and even seizures,
they may even progress to a short paralysis stage and then succumb.
 Some
animals, however, never show any of these signs, and instead experience
various stages of paralysis, which is often called “dumb” rabies.
During dumb rabies, an animal’s voice may change in tone, and
they may salivate or froth excessively as a result of their inability
to swallow. The paralysis makes it difficult for them to breathe, sometimes
causing a choking sound. Unknowingly, a person may try to remove the
suspected foreign object from the animal’s throat and thus be
exposed to the virus.
Wild animals, on the other hand, may show other
symptoms, such as a lack of fear – almost friendliness – towards
humans. Some display less obvious changes, such as nocturnal creatures,
like
bats, skunks, and foxes, being active during the day.
 Because a variety
of ailments can mimic the symptoms of rabies, the presence of the
disease can only be truly confirmed by a laboratory
test. However, the test can only be done on the brain tissue of the
dead animal. So, if you observe an animal with any rabies-like symptoms,
use precaution and protect yourself from exposure by moving slowly
away from the animal.
How Does Rabies Affect People?
Rabies in humans is rare. However, possible exposures to the virus
do frequently occur. Once exposed the incubation period varies
from 10 days to one year, depending on the extensiveness and location
of the bite. During this time, treatment must be given or the person
will contract the fatal disease.
Standard treatment in the US consists
of an injection of anti-rabies globulin followed by five injections
of rabies vaccine. Today the treatment
is often no more painful than a typical injection.
What To Do If You’re Bitten
- Immediately wash the wound with soap and water to remove
the animal’s
saliva.
- Contact your doctor or health department to find out if that
species is a rabies carrier in your area.
- See your doctor to have the wound cleaned and other necessary
treatment given. (bites that break the skin can cause bacterial
infections and
sometimes require a tetanus shot.)
- Report the incident to your local animal control agency or
humane society, so they can locate and observe the animal for
the specified
time.
- Remember the description and location of the animal.
- If possible, find out if the animal is up-to-date on their
rabies vaccine.
- Do not kill the animal. You may put yourself at more
risk for exposure.
10 Things to Reduce Your Risk
- Vaccinate your pet against rabies.
- Don’t keep wild animals as pets. Americans keep more than
1.5 million exotic animals as pets which cannot be vaccinated against
rabies.
- Do not handle wildlife – dead or alive. While the virus won’t
survive very long in dead animals, you should wear moisture proof
gloves before picking them up.
- Avoid animals displaying unnatural behavior. Wild animals who
are unusually friendly or displaying other unnatural behavior may
have
the rabies virus.
- Discourage contact between pets and wildlife. Don’t let
your pets roam or encourage them to interact with unfamiliar domestic
or
wild animals.
- Feed your pets indoors. Leaving food outside often attracts
stray dogs, cats, and wildlife to your yard.
- Animal-proof your trash. Make sure your trash lids are locked,
and don’t leave bags of garbage outside the cans.
- Prevent wild animals from getting into the house. Prune tree
branches that overhang the roof. Keep screens on windows and
cover small openings,
such as chimneys, furnace ducts, and eaves.
- Report all stray animals to animal control. Stray animals
may not be vaccinated for rabies. They also run a high risk
of exposure
to
wild animals who carry the disease.
- Give your child some guidelines
to follow. Do not frighten young children, but make sure they learn
some basic rules
about protecting
themselves from strange or unfamiliar animals.
Rules to Teach Your Child
- Tell them to never approach or play with a strange dog,
cat, or wild animal, even if the animals seems friendly.
- Before touching someone’s pet, have them get permission
from the owner.
- Don’t let them touch dead animals. Ask them to tell you
if they find one.
- Teach them to immediately tell you or another adult if they are
bitten or scratched by an animal.
- If they are bitten or scratched by an animal, ask them to remember:
What type of animal he was – a dog, cat, raccoon, skunk.
If he had a collar and tag.
How big and what color he was.
Which way he went.
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