- Rabies is a fatal disease that can affect all mammals, including humans.
- The rabies virus has an affinity for nervous tissue.
- The virus is present in saliva of infected animals and is transmitted by bite wounds.
- The virus replicates in the tissue, entering the nerve endings in and around the wound and is able to travel along these nerves and gain entry into the central nervous system rapidly spreading to the brain stem and the forebrain.
- Clinical signs in rabid animals or humans occur once the rabies virus has reached the brain tissue. Once the clinical signs are noted the disease is usually at a terminal stage and medical intervention is seldom successful.
SIGNS OF RABIES
- A change in your pets attitude
- Behavioral changes
- Aggression
- Paralysis
- Inability to swallow
- A change in the tone of the dogs bark
- Excessive salivation
- Wild animals may be unusually friendly
THE ONLY FORM OF PREVENTION IS VACCINATION
Go back to ‘Sickness in Pets’ Go back to ‘Vaccinations’