​RABIES~WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Giving the rabies vaccine to your pet is required by law! Not only that, but it is the most important vaccine you can give your pet as it protects your pets life from disease and/or euthanization.

What is rabies?

Rabies is a viral disease that can infect all warm-blooded animals, including cats, dogs, and people, although some species are somewhat naturally resistant to the disease. When signs of rabies occur it is an almost invariably fatal disease.

How is the rabies virus transmitted?

Rabies virus does not survive long outside a mammal's body. The infection is transmitted when one infected animal bites another.

How long is the incubation period?

The incubation period can vary from ten days to one year or longer. In dogs, the incubation period is typically two weeks to four months. 
The speed at which clinical signs develop depends upon:

• The site of infection-the nearer the bite is to the brain and spinal cord, the quicker the virus reaches the nervous tissue.
  
• The severity of the bite
  
• The amount of virus injected by the bite.
  

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The top 4 transmitters of rabies in the state of Nevada are:

• Bats
  
• Feral cats
  
• Skunks and racoons
  
• All warm blooded mammals
  

Is vaccination effective?

Vaccination promotes the production of antibodies but is only effective if given before the virus enters the nervous system. Modern rabies vaccines for dogs, cats, horses and ferrets are extremely safe and effective.

CAN YOU GET RABIES?

- YES!, the disease is zoonotic or can be transmitted from an animal to man. IT is only transmitted by the bite or contact with saliva(spit) of a rabid animal. The virus is present in the saliva of the infected animal only for a limited time. IF any animal that may be suspicious for rabies bites you, immediately wash and flush the wound thoroughly with soap and water. And seek immediate medical assistance.

How rabies is diagnosed: 

Rabies can only be diagnosed by direct examination of the brain. It is not possible to diagnose this disease in a living animal.

There are two recognized forms of the clinical disease:

• FURIOUS RABIES- occurs when the rabid dog becomes highly excitable and displays evidence of a depraved appetite, eating and chewing stones, earth and rubbish. Paralysis eventually sets in and the rabid animal may be unable to eat and drink. The dog finally dies in a violent seizure.
  
• DUMB RABIES- this is the more common form in dogs. There is progressive paralysis involving the limbs, distortion of the face and a similar difficulty in swallowing. Ultimately the dog becomes comatose and dies.