4 Things You Should Know About Rabies

Even the mention of rabies can send a chill down any animal lover's spine, and for good reason. This neurological virus invariably causes frightening symptoms and eventual death in the mammals that contract it, with the rare exception of humans who receive the appropriate drugs in time to counteract it.

Thankfully, your pets don't have to remain vulnerable to this disease. Once you've learned some key facts about rabies, you'll understand why early vaccination and repeated booster shots play such a critical role in preserving your furry friends' health. Take the following four points to heart as you schedule preventative pet care.

1. Why Pets Get Rabies

The virus that causes rabies spreads easily from infected warm-blood mammal to another through bites, with saliva serving as the carrier. In the wild, rabies commonly appears in foxes, coyotes, raccoons, bats, and skunks. If your pet encounters any of these creatures while outdoors, it could contract rabies from an infected animal.

Domestic animals susceptible to rabies include cats, dogs, and livestock animals. Fortunately, the rabies virus doesn't survive in saliva that has dried out, nor can it remain potent in blood, urine, or air. The bite of an infected animal must break the skin to deliver the virus to another animal's bloodstream.

2. What Rabies Does to Animals

Once a bite allows it to enter the body, the rabies virus travels along the body's nerve pathways to the brain, manipulating the neurons (nerve cells) to accelerate its journey. Once it reaches the brain, it creates major inflammation and eventual paralysis. Pets infected with rabies typically die within seven days of contracting the virus.

Rabies may take one of two main forms as it commandeers a pet's brain and nervous system. The furious form of the disease tends to produce the stereotypical image of a made or aggressive animal. However, other pets may display the dumb form of the disease, so named because it paralyzes the throat muscles.

3. When to Suspect a Rabies Infection

Sudden, unexplained changes in your pet's personality or behavior may point toward a possible rabies infection. Early in the disease's progression, your pet may grow unusually lethargic, affectionate, or even playful, transforming from an introvert into an extrovert or vice versa. Some pets may also develop a fever.

As your pet's nerves become increasingly affected by the rabies virus, watch out for symptoms such as drooling, foaming at the mouth, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, and loss of muscular coordination. Rabid pets who become aggressive or fearful may attack and bite humans or other animals, transmitting the disease.

4. How Veterinarians Protect Pets Against Rabies

Sadly, no cure exists for rabies in pets — in fact, only a postmortem examination of the brain can confirm that an animal even had rabies. For this reason, veterinarians focus on preventative care in the form of rabies vaccinations, administering these shots alongside other core vaccinations that protect against deadly diseases.

Ideally, puppies and kittens should receive their first rabies vaccinations as soon as they can safely tolerate them, or by the age of 16 weeks , although adult animals can and should get vaccinated as well. Your veterinarian may administer a vaccination that provides full protection against the rabies virus for either one year or three years.

Don't make the mistake of assuming that your pet needs only one rabies vaccination. As soon as the one-year or three-year vaccine wears off, your pet will grow vulnerable to this deadly disease again. Follow your veterinarian's recommended schedule for periodic booster shots to help your pet stay protected.

If you want to enjoy a long, happy, healthy, and, above all, safe life with your pet, take steps right now to safeguard it against rabies. Contact Pet Medical Center of Vero Beach today to schedule these and any other core and non-core vaccinations your pet might need.