The Dog Bowl Pet Supply and BARF Raw Food Blog
The Dog Bowl is an online storefront that offers quality pet products including: raw dog food, B.A.R.F., pet beds, dog dental care, pet first aid kits for travel, and every other luxury pet gift imaginable.Monday, September 25, 2006
What is rabies?
Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that can affect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) of any kind of mammal, including humans.
Animals that are infected with rabies can spread the disease through their saliva or brain matter. People may be exposed to rabies when bitten by an infected wild or domestic animal. Because of widespread animal vaccination programs, people in North America rarely get rabies; it is more common in developing nations.
What causes rabies?
Rabies is caused by a virus that is usually spread through contact with an infected animal's saliva. In the United States, the rabies virus is found almost exclusively in wildlife. Bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes are the most common hosts of rabies. The animals most likely to be affected can vary by region, although bats are becoming a primary source of infection among humans in many areas of the U.S. and Canada.1
Report all animal bites, especially those from wildlife, to your local health department. They can tell you which species pose a threat for rabies in your area. This will help determine the need for preventive treatment.
Occasionally, the rabies virus can spread to pets, such as dogs, cats, and domestic ferrets. However, household pets rarely get rabies, due to successful vaccination programs. A pet that always stays indoors is highly unlikely to be exposed to the virus.
In extremely rare situations, a person can get rabies without being bitten by a rabid animal (nonbite exposure). Humans have acquired rabies by handling a rabid animal or by inhaling airborne virus in places where it exists in high quantities, such as caves filled with bats.
What are the symptoms?
Signs of rabies in animals may include having excessive saliva or sometimes foaming at the mouth, paralysis, or behavioral changes in your pet (such as shyness when the pet was friendly) or no fear of humans in a wild animal.
Rabies infection in humans begins with vague symptoms such as fever, cough, or sore throat followed in several days by more serious and rapidly progressing symptoms such as restlessness, hallucinations, and seizures. The final stage is coma and death.
The incubation period—the time from exposure to the rabies virus until symptoms appear—is usually 4 to 6 weeks. In rare cases, the incubation period can last from several days to more than a year after exposure to the virus.
If you are concerned that you may have been exposed to the rabies virus, it is important to seek medical attention before symptoms develop. Rabies is nearly always fatal if not treated before the appearance of symptoms.
How is rabies diagnosed? Rabies in humans can be difficult to diagnose.
Tests that can help include:
Diagnosis in animals also is difficult. Animals that display abnormal behavior often are assumed to be rabid. The risk that an animal is infected with the rabies virus is based on:
Once rabies symptoms appear, the disease progresses rapidly, and there is no cure. If medical treatment is provided before symptoms develop, the virus almost always is eliminated before it can cause serious damage. Medical treatment for rabies includes:
Animals that are infected with rabies can spread the disease through their saliva or brain matter. People may be exposed to rabies when bitten by an infected wild or domestic animal. Because of widespread animal vaccination programs, people in North America rarely get rabies; it is more common in developing nations.
What causes rabies?
Rabies is caused by a virus that is usually spread through contact with an infected animal's saliva. In the United States, the rabies virus is found almost exclusively in wildlife. Bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes are the most common hosts of rabies. The animals most likely to be affected can vary by region, although bats are becoming a primary source of infection among humans in many areas of the U.S. and Canada.1
Report all animal bites, especially those from wildlife, to your local health department. They can tell you which species pose a threat for rabies in your area. This will help determine the need for preventive treatment.
Occasionally, the rabies virus can spread to pets, such as dogs, cats, and domestic ferrets. However, household pets rarely get rabies, due to successful vaccination programs. A pet that always stays indoors is highly unlikely to be exposed to the virus.
In extremely rare situations, a person can get rabies without being bitten by a rabid animal (nonbite exposure). Humans have acquired rabies by handling a rabid animal or by inhaling airborne virus in places where it exists in high quantities, such as caves filled with bats.
What are the symptoms?
Signs of rabies in animals may include having excessive saliva or sometimes foaming at the mouth, paralysis, or behavioral changes in your pet (such as shyness when the pet was friendly) or no fear of humans in a wild animal.
Rabies infection in humans begins with vague symptoms such as fever, cough, or sore throat followed in several days by more serious and rapidly progressing symptoms such as restlessness, hallucinations, and seizures. The final stage is coma and death.
The incubation period—the time from exposure to the rabies virus until symptoms appear—is usually 4 to 6 weeks. In rare cases, the incubation period can last from several days to more than a year after exposure to the virus.
If you are concerned that you may have been exposed to the rabies virus, it is important to seek medical attention before symptoms develop. Rabies is nearly always fatal if not treated before the appearance of symptoms.
How is rabies diagnosed? Rabies in humans can be difficult to diagnose.
Tests that can help include:
- Direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test. This common, rapid test detects the rabies virus protein. DFA testing is done by taking a sample of tissue from the potentially affected area.
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. This test detects the genetic material (DNA) of the rabies virus proteins. PCR testing is very accurate and can be done on saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, or tissue.
Diagnosis in animals also is difficult. Animals that display abnormal behavior often are assumed to be rabid. The risk that an animal is infected with the rabies virus is based on:
- The type of animal. Some animals are more likely to carry rabies than others. Bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes are common carriers of the rabies virus.
- The behavior of the animal, such as excessive drooling or aggression.
- Risk for rabies in a specific geographic area. For more information, contact your local health department.
- The date of the animal's last rabies vaccination.
Once rabies symptoms appear, the disease progresses rapidly, and there is no cure. If medical treatment is provided before symptoms develop, the virus almost always is eliminated before it can cause serious damage. Medical treatment for rabies includes:
- Thorough cleansing of the area of exposure (bite, scratch, or open sore).
- Postexposure vaccinations.
Any animal bite or area of exposure should be washed with soap and water immediately. Visit a health professional to find out whether additional care is needed. Your doctor and local health department can help determine your risk of exposure to rabies. Rabies vaccinations will be administered promptly if the risk of exposure to the virus is high.
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