Rabies in Dogs: How to Keep Your Pet Safe From It
Rabies in dogs is one of the most dangerous illnesses afflicting our pets. Because there is no cure for that infectious disease, it is critically important to maintain regular immunizations.
Once a dog is infected, the virus spreads quickly. It usually takes fewer than ten days to form, but it may take up to a year. Once the warning signs appear, it is often too late and death is unavoidable.
Learning about it can help protect your dog against rabies and ensure they live a happy, healthy and long life. Let’s go through the latest research and see what you can do to protect your four-legged furry friend.
Table of Contents
- What Is Rabies?
- Signs and Symptoms of Rabies in Dogs
- What Causes Rabies in Dogs?
- How Long Does Rabies Incubation Last in Dogs?
- Diagnosing Rabies in Dogs
- Treatment of Rabies in Dogs
- Is Rabies in Dogs Contagious for Humans or Other Pets?
- How Much Does a Rabies Treatment of Dogs Cost?
- Recovery and Management of Rabies in Dogs
- Preventing Rabies in Dogs
- What Happens if My Dog Comes into Contact with a Potentially Rabid Animal?
- The Takeaway
- Nutrition Strength Immune Support for Dogs
Check out our Nutrition Strength Immune Support for Dogs here.
What Is Rabies?
Rabies is one of the most lethal viral infections that affect animals such as dogs and humans. It is a deadly illness caused by a rabies virus infection.
The rabies virus may be found in North America, Central, and South America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and portions of Europe. There are, however, several rabies-free locations across the globe, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Japan, some Pacific Islands, Antarctica, and portions of Scandinavia.
Signs and Symptoms of Rabies in Dogs
The rabies sickness occurs when a dog is bitten by a rabid animal. We can determine three different stages.
Prodromal stage: Dogs’ personalities and behaviors will alter, becoming nervous, worried and scared. Friendly dogs may become violent, while aggressive dogs can become friendly. The earliest signs appear during the first 2 – 3 days. Other indications are:
- Anxiety.
- Licking the site of the bite wound.
- Withdrawal from people and other animals.
- Fever.
- Hypersensitivity to light, sound and touch.
- Change in tone or bark.
Furious stage: Dogs in the furious stage exhibit restlessness and irritation, as well as a sensitivity to light and sound. They will begin to roam the area, attacking inanimate things, animals and humans. This stage of symptoms might persist from 1 to 7 days. Seizures and disorientation will ensue.
The prodromal or furious stage is followed by the paralytic stage, which generally appears 2 – 4 days after the initial symptoms. The neck and jaw muscles may become paralyzed, resulting in foaming from the mouth. Other symptoms include difficulty breathing, coughing, weakness, respiratory failure and death.
The virus typically incubates for 2 – 8 weeks before symptoms show. However, the transmission may occur as early as 10 days before any signs or symptoms appear.
Infected saliva passes via the nerves and spinal cord to the brain; once there, the virus multiplies and spreads to the salivary glands, where the symptoms occur.
If your dog gets bitten or scratched by another animal, he or she must visit a veterinarian immediately. If you wait for signs or symptoms to appear, it will be too late to rescue your dog.
What Causes Rabies in Dogs?
Contrary to popular belief, there are several ways for a dog to get infected with the rabies virus. The most prevalent method is by a rabid animal’s bite since rabid animals exude enormous quantities of the virus in their saliva.
However, rabies may be transferred if the saliva of an infected animal comes into contact with a scratch, an open wound, or places such as the mouth, eyes or nose. That is also known as “dog scratch rabies” and can be critical for life.
The greatest danger comes from wild animals and any unvaccinated dog left alone without supervision is more likely to be bitten by another animal. Raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes are the most frequent rabies virus carriers.
How Long Does Rabies Incubation Last in Dogs?
The rabies incubation period, or the time it takes for symptoms to manifest, may range from 10 days to a year. Infected canines, on the other hand, have an average incubation time of 2 – 8 weeks.
The symptoms’ duration depends on the bite’s intensity, the quantity of virus injected and the site of the infection. The closer the disease is to the spinal cord or brain, the faster it will reach the neurological system and start causing serious problems.
Diagnosing Rabies in Dogs
A direct fluorescent antibody (dFA) test, which removes and tests samples of brain tissue, is the only technique to diagnose rabies nowadays. The test is only conducted by a state-approved laboratory on canines that have died or been euthanized.
The clinical symptoms and patient history are used to diagnose rabies in live animals. It might be challenging to confirm rabies in locations where the virus is uncommon. The virus’s early stages may potentially be mistaken for other medical disorders.
Treatment of Rabies in Dogs
The rabies virus has no treatment and any unvaccinated dog will die. Because rabies poses a severe health danger, the dog is usually killed to prevent the illness from spreading to other animals and people.
Consider that a dog has been vaccinated against rabies. In that case, a booster vaccination is given if there is a chance of getting infected. This boosts the dog’s immunity against rabies and minimizes the virus’s chances of spreading. Even if a dog has been vaccinated, he may need to be monitored for up to 7 – 10 days.
If your dog gets bitten by another person’s pet, attempt to learn all you can about it. That includes vaccination history and a rabies tag number or dog licensing number (if available).
A rabies diagnosis must be reported to the local health authority by law. According to municipal and state legislation, unvaccinated dogs bitten or exposed to a rabid animal must be confined for up to six months.
A vaccinated dog that attacks another animal or a person will be determined in an authorized facility and may be euthanized.
Is Rabies in Dogs Contagious for Humans or Other Pets?
The rabies virus is spreadable to people and other animals. It is transmitted to them similarly by saliva from a so-called dog bite rabies wound. Suppose you or your dog gets bitten by a wild animal or a bat.
In that case, you should assume they are rabid (until proved otherwise by a scientific diagnostic) and seek medical assistance immediately.
Assume you or your dog gets bitten by a domestic animal. In that case, practically every state requires that the animal be observed and kept for 10 days.
A rabies-infected animal may only spread the illness when clinical indications have emerged, necessitating 10-day confinement. If no symptoms appear after a 10-day detention, the dog could not have transmitted rabies to you at the moment of the bite.
Consider that an unvaccinated dog gets bitten by another animal. In that case, it may be compelled to be confined at an accredited animal control facility for up to six months, depending on the state and generally at the owner’s cost.
This quarantine time assures that the unvaccinated dog did not develop rabies before allowing it to associate with people and other animals again.
Because rabies still kills tens of thousands of humans yearly, routine rabies vaccines for canines are critical for public health.
How Much Does a Rabies Treatment of Dogs Cost?
The cost of treating rabies varies based on whether you merely need to vaccinate or whether additional diagnostic and prevention are required. The rabies injection is usually not too costly, but the doctor’s visit is an extra expense that should be considered.
Shelters and clinics may offer to provide rabies vaccines at a reduced or free cost. The rabies vaccination for dogs is administered every 1 – 3 years, depending on local regulation and your veterinarian’s prescription. Therefore the expense is not one-time.
The fees will be more significant in circumstances that demand further care. A canine quarantine for 10 days might cost several hundred dollars, while prolonged confinement can cost several thousand dollars. The quantity may vary based on variables such as location.
Recovery and Management of Rabies in Dogs
Rabies is a lethal virus, and there is no prospect of recovery unless your dog is immunized.
After the dog has left home, disinfect any locations that the dog may have affected (particularly with saliva). To immediately inactivate the virus, dilute 1:32 (4 ounces to a gallon) household bleach solution. Because the virus is also infectious to people, avoid coming into touch with the dog’s saliva.
Preventing Rabies in Dogs
Immunization benefits your dog in several ways. Vaccination not only protects your dog against rabies, but it also protects them if they bite someone. Suppose your dog attacks another animal or a person. In that case, the first inquiry will be if your dog is up to date on their vaccinations.
You can eliminate the risk of rabies transmission by demonstrating that your dog has received the rabies vaccination. However, consider your dog’s immunizations are out of date.
In that case, he or she may be confined or even killed due to the potential hazard. Dogs that have bitten humans must be quarantined for at least 10 days to determine if rabies has developed.
You may also avoid rabies by not coming into touch with wild animals. Always keep your dog on a leash and be alert to your surroundings. Free-roaming animals are more prone to contact wild animals and get the virus.
Ways to lower your dog’s chance of contracting rabies from wildlife are:
- Do not keep wild animals as pets.
- Avoid animals that exhibit erratic behavior.
- Avoid coming into close touch with wild animals (alive or not).
- Feed your pet indoors.
- All stray animals should be reported to animal control.
- Don’t let your pet get close to wildlife.
- Avoid wild creatures that seem to be particularly friendly, docile, or fearless of people. Raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes are particularly dangerous. And, even if a bat looks dead, never pick it up or handle it.
Between the ages of twelve and sixteen weeks, dogs should be vaccinated against rabies. Rabies boosters are often necessary. However, the frequency varies according to state requirements.
Contact your veterinarian for information on recommended revaccination intervals and any other concerns you may have about rabies in puppies.
What Happens if My Dog Comes into Contact with a Potentially Rabid Animal?
Contact your veterinarian immediately so they can evaluate and treat the wound and give your dog a rabies booster. If you don’t have rubber gloves and know what you’re doing, don’t try to clean the damage yourself. Rabies is infectious. Therefore, if you touch the wound, you may also get infected.
You should also notify your local health authority and submit a complaint. This way, the rabid animal may be found and removed from the area before it hurts other humans or animals.
The Takeaway
If you suspect that your puppy has been bitten, rabies should come first to your mind. That is because it is a fatal virus with no cure. Therefore vaccination is both necessary for prevention and mandated by law in most U.S. states.
Keeping up with your dog’s booster vaccines and keeping them safe from conditions that might harm their health can significantly reduce the chance of rabies. You have to know all the signs and symptoms to prevent yourself from infecting. Be careful and take care of your four-legged furry friend.
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Image source: Wikimedia / David Adam Kess.
