Issues

How Do Dogs Get Rabies?

Rabies is secreted through saliva then passes to canines through a bite from an infected animal. They can also become infected if they have a scratch or open wound that’s exposed to contaminated saliva. Once the rabies virus enters the body, it travels to the brain and attacks the nervous system.

Rabies is an incurable virus that attacks the brain and spinal cord. While it’s preventable and even treatable if caught early on, once the symptoms of rabies appear, the virus is fatal.

What’s The Incubation Period?

The incubation period (the time from initial exposure until signs of rabies appear) can vary from 10 days to one year or longer. In dogs, the average incubation period is usually two weeks to four months. Some factors affect this period, including:

• The severity of the bite – with severe bites, more of the virus gets secreted into a dog’s system
• The site of infection – the closer the bite is to the brain or spinal cord, the quicker the virus travels to the nervous tissue

Lethargy – the dog is acting like it has no energy or is excessively tired.

Fever – if a dog is infected with the rabies virus, it is likely to run a fever. High temperature is the primary response to infections.

Vomiting – make sure that there’s no vomiting. Though it is seen in other medical cases and problems, vomiting is a sign that the dog is infected with something.

Excessive Drooling – most people describe it as foaming at the mouth. It happens because the jaw or throat is paralyzed, so the dog has difficulty swallowing. That, in turn, causes them to drool.

Sensitivity – heightened sensitivity to various things. Became sensitive to sound, light, and touch, with light sensitivity being the most prominent

Odd behaviors – some peculiar behaviors are going to be noted with rabies:

• Significant aggression
• Self-mutilations
• Disorientation or unsteadiness
• Hallucinations
• Irritability