Rabies In Dogs
Signs of Rabies in Dogs
Rabies in dogs can be a fatal illness and the best way of coping with it is to vaccinate your pet against the virus.
Rabies is transmitted when an infected animal bites another creature and raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes and bats are considered the potential infectors for domestic animals. It does not always mean that the bitten animals will get the dreaded disease and dogs are not considered very susceptible to rabies.
However, given the fact that an infected dog is potentially a big threat to humans in the vicinity it is important to know the signs of rabies in dogs and to keep an eye out for it. This should especially be the case if your pet tends to come in contact with undomesticated animals.
The rabies virus tends to travel through the nerves to the brain of the infected animal. This process can take a while as the incubation phase of this disease in dogs is said to be three to eight weeks. There are also instances where the incubation period has been much longer which is to say that you should remain alert to indications of rabies in dogs which have any signs of having been bitten. Once the virus reaches the brain it gets to the salivary glands and that is the phase when it can be transmitted through a bite and this is when the actual symptoms of the disease are manifested.
Fever, nervousness, anxiety and fear are markers of this first stage which is known as the prodromal phase and it lasts for 2-3 days. The dog is likely to exhibit atypical behavior in that an aggressive animal may seem mild-mannered and a friendly dog may become snappish or irritable. The dogs also tend to frequently lick the site of the bite.
The next phase is called the furious phase of rabies in dogs and, as the name indicates, it is a period of aggression. The infected dogs are prone to attack and bite and exhibit signs of extreme restlessness. They are over-stimulated even by everyday noises and sights and are quick to react. This stage lasts anywhere from one to seven days.
The following phase is the paralytic phase. Some dogs move directly from the first stage to the paralytic period. The nerves of the throat and head are paralyzed and the dog will be unable to swallow. The saliva drooling and dribbling associated with rabies comes from this phase of the problem. Breathing becomes progressively harder and the animal will finally die of respiratory failure.
The progression of the disease from first sign to death is actually alarmingly quick. The only way of making certain that an animal died of rabies is to examine the brain of the animal after death to assess for signs of the viral infection.
Unfortunately there is no treatment for rabies in dogs. But at the earliest sign of an infected dog, you should make all efforts to quarantine it as there is real danger of others getting bitten and infected also.
The best way to deal with rabies is to make sure that your pet dog is vaccinated against it and to provide no opportunity where it can get bitten by some other infected animal. While the vaccination is required by law in many states, many owners still fail to follow this directive. The recommended vaccination schedule is the first shot when the dog is 3-4 months old and then a second one after the animal turns a year old. The subsequent year onwards the three-year vaccine can be used to keep the animal protected. This is not a difficult schedule to follow and can go a long way in keeping your dog healthy and happy.