RABIES ALERT - Watch out that Dog might just have been infected.

 Many people love Dogs and therefore keep them as pets  and companion animals. However care and due diligence is needed in order to safe guide the health of both animal and owner. As you may be aware, rabies is a common occurrence in this part of the world, so there is the need to educate Dog owners  on what rabies is and how to prevent or mitigate its effects if at all there is a confirmed case. 

Rabies in a layman’s definition is a contagious and fatal viral disease of dogs and other mammals, transmissible through the saliva to humans and causing madness and convulsions.

Rabies is a severe, and often fatal, viral polioencephalitis that specifically affects the gray matter of the dog's brain and its central nervous system (CNS). The primary way the rabies virus is transmitted to dogs in the United States is through a bite from a disease carrier: foxes, raccoons, skunks, and bats. Infectious virus particles are retained in a rabid animal's salivary glands to better disseminate the virus through their saliva.

Once the virus enters the dog's body, it replicates in the cells of the muscles, and then spreads to the closest nerve fibers, including all peripheral, sensory and motor nerves, traveling from there to the CNS via fluid within the nerves. The virus can take up to a month to develop, but once the symptoms have begun, the virus progresses rapidly. This inflammatory infection also has zoonotic (i.e. transferable from man to animal) characteristics and can therefore be transmitted to humans.

Who is most at risk?
People that work closely with wildlife, veterinarians, and travelers are at the highest risk of exposure. Fortunately, there is a vaccine that is available to protect high-risk people. Animals that come into contact with wildlife and are not vaccinated are at a higher risk of infection. While the risk of coming into contact with the virus is very low, it nevertheless does exist. Because of the movement of carriers, there is always the risk of exposure.





How is it transmitted?
The transmission of the disease almost always occurs as a result of an infected animal biting a non-infected animal. Skunks, bats, raccoons, foxes, coyotes and bats are the animals most likely to transmit the virus. There have been a few reported cases of infection resulting from aerosolization occurring in caves where large quantities of infected bats reside. Rabies virus does not live very long outside the host and remains viable in the carcass of an infected animal for less than 24 hours. The rabies virus is shed at high levels in saliva. However, being bitten by a rabid animal does not necessarily mean that the bitten animal (or human) will become infected. It has been speculated, that only around 15% of exposed people will contract the disease. Humans, cats, and dogs are only mildly susceptible to the disease.

There are two forms of rabies: paralytic and furious:

 The paralytic form in the early symptom (prodomal) stage of rabies infection, the dog will show only mild signs of CNS abnormalities. This stage will last from one 1 – 3 days.  Most dogs will then progress to either the furious stage, the paralytic stage, or a combination of the two, while others succumb to the infection without displaying any major symptoms.

paralytic form of rabies

Furious rabies is characterized by extreme behavioral changes, including overt aggression and attack behavior. Paralytic rabies, also referred to as dumb rabies, is characterized by weakness and loss of coordination, followed by paralysis.

 This is a fast-moving virus. If it is not treated soon after the symptoms have begun, the prognosis (possible outcome) is poor. Therefore, if your dog has been in a fight with another animal, or has been bitten or scratched by another animal, or if you have any reason to suspect that your pet has come into contact with a rabid animal (even if your pet has been vaccinated against the virus), you must take your dog to a veterinarian for preventive care immediately.

 Common signs to watch out for in your Dog

• Pica (eating other things other  than  food, like sand, wood etc)
• Fever
• Seizures
• Paralysis
• Hydrophobia
• Jaw is dropped
• Inability to swallow
• Change in tone of bark
• Muscular lack of coordination
• Unusual shyness or usual aggression
• Excessive excitability
• Constant irritability/changes in attitude and behavior
• Paralysis in the mandible and larynx
• Excessive salivation (hypersalivation), or frothy saliva

Diagnosis

If you suspect your dog has rabies, call your veterinarian immediately. If it is safe to do so, cage, or otherwise subdue your dog, and take it to a veterinarian to be quarantined. If your pet is behaving viciously, or is trying to attack, and you feel you are at risk of being bitten or scratched, you must contact animal expert to catch your dog for you.

Your veterinarian will keep your dog quarantined in a locked cage for 10 days to monitor it or rabies signs. This is the only acceptable method for confirming suspected rabies infection.

 Rabies can be confused with other conditions that cause aggressive behavior, so a laboratory blood analysis must be conducted where available to confirm the presence or otherwise of the virus. However, blood testing for the virus is not veterinary procedure and as such do not expect your Veterinarian to do that for you but he can guide you appropriately.

Prevention ! Prevention !! Prevention !!!

Vaccination is the best way to prevent infection and properly vaccinated animals stand very little chance of contracting the disease. While rabies vaccination for dogs is mandatory for all states in the federation but the simple truth is that up to half of all dogs are not vaccinated.

the standard vaccination protocol is to vaccinate  dogs at three  months and then again at one year of age. There after a yearly booster douse of the vaccine is given to the animal. Different forms of anti-rabies vaccine  is available in the market, your Vet will know which is best for your animal.

 Pet exposure

Any pet that is bitten or scratched by either a wild, carnivorous mammal or a bat that is not available for testing should be considered as having been exposed to rabies. Public health officials recommend that unvaccinated dogs, cats, and ferrets exposed to a rabid animal should be euthanized immediately. If the owner is unwilling to have this done, the animal should be placed in strict isolation for 6 months and vaccinated 1 month before being released. Animals with expired vaccinations need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Dogs and cats that are currently vaccinated are kept under observation for 45 days in some countries

Human Exposure

If an animal bites a human, the animal will be either quarantined or observed for a period of at least 10 days to ensure that it does not have rabies. Whether or not the animal was currently vaccinated and the community that you live in should dictate the requirements of the quarantine but our system is not that efficient yet. People that do become exposed to a rabid animal can be given post exposure vaccinations and a globulin (antibody) injection to protect them against becoming infected.

Urgent first aid : Any person bitten by an animal should wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately without further delay.

RED ALERT : There is no treatment Once the disease develops in humans, death is almost certain. Only a handful of people have survived rabies after extremely intensive medical care. There have been several reported cases of dogs surviving the infection, but they are very rare.

BE SAFE, PROTECT YOUR ANIMAL PROTECT YOUR FAMILY...VACCINATE YOUR DOG TODAY