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What is Rabies?
Rabies is a disease caused by a virus found in the saliva of infected mammals and is transmitted to pets and humans by bites, or possibly by contamination of an open cut with saliva. Treatment is critical for a person who has been infected by rabies, because there is no cure.
Although rabies is decreasing as a human disease because of better rabies vaccination programs for pets and public education about the disease, it is still a disease of significant public health concern.
In recent years, there have been over 8,000 animals, most of them wild, diagnosed as having rabies in the United States. Skunks, bats, raccoons, foxes, cats, dogs and some farm animals are most likely to get and pass along rabies. Rats, mice, squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits are rarely infected. Rabies does not occur in reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds and insects.
Vaccinations are available from Park Lane Veterinary Hospital to ensure your dog, cat, ferret or other pets will not get rabies. It is up to you to ensure that the vaccinations are kept up to date.
In the United States, rabid cats have outnumbered rabid dogs in eight of the last ten years, so it is important that all your pets receive vaccines. Be sure your pets are identified by a licensed tag and a rabies vaccination tag.
What to do when an animal bites or scratches a human...
If someone is bitten by a cat, dog or any animal:
- Wash the wound immediately with soap and running water for at
least five minutes
See a physician immediately, even for minor wounds - If your pet bites someone or has been bitten, immediately confine the pet and contact the local animal control officer or public health agency and check with your veterinarian for treatment and rabies vaccination history.
- If the bite is from a wild or stray animal, DO NOT try to capture the animal unless you are sure you can do so without incurring injury.
- Do not destroy the animal which has bitten a human or other animal. Contact the local animal control officer or public health agency.
Signs of Rabies...
An animal infected with rabies may show no visible symptoms for several days. When the disease does manifest itself, however, you may notice nervousness, aggressiveness and abnormal behavior or significant change of behavior, such as wild animals losing their fear of humans, or nocturnal animals being active in the daytime.
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