Understanding Rabies and Rabid Dogs

What Is Rabies?

Rabies is a serious and often fatal viral infection that affects the dog's brain and its central nervous system (CNS). Rabies can have several phases which include the prodromal, furious, and paralytic; rabies can be prevented by vaccinations.
Knowing the warning signs of rabies in dogs can help prevent infection to other animals and people.

How Does A Dog Get Infected With Rabies?

Rabies is transmitted to a Dog through a bite or scratch from another Rabid Dog or animal carrying rabies.(Bats, Raccoons, Foxes etc). Infection occurs when the infected saliva of a host is passed to an uninfected animal.

Are Dogs Born With Rabies?

No! Dogs can not be born with Rabies. An Infected Rabid Dog dies in 10 days. So, if a mother dog had rabies when she was pregnant the pregnancy would not likely survive.

How Do I Know If My Dog Has Rabies?

Rabies occur in two stages. The Paralytic and Furious Stages. For the first few days, the dog will only show a few symptoms of abnormalities. Most dogs will then proceed to the furious stage, the paralytic or Both.

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

How do you get rabies from a dog?

Rabies is transmitted through through the saliva of an infected dog. So even if an infected dog's saliva touches your open wound, you can be infected.

How Do You Know A Person Has Been Infected?

The period between the day of Infection and when the first symptoms is noticed is called the Incubation Period.

According to Wikipedia,

Incubation period is typically 1–3 months in humans. Incubation periods as short as four days and longer than six years have been documented, depending on the location and severity of the contaminated wound and the amount of virus introduced. Initial signs and symptoms of rabies are often nonspecific such as fever and headache. As rabies progresses and causes inflammation of the brain and/or meninges, signs and symptoms can include slight or partial paralysis, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, agitation, abnormal behavior, paranoia, terror, and hallucinations, progressing to delirium, and coma. The person may also have hydrophobia.

 One of the most distinctive signs of a rabies infection is a tingling, itching or twitching feeling around the area of the bite. It is often accompanied by a fever, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, nausea, and fatigue.

What To Do If These Signs Are Noticed?
Consult a Doctor Immediately. In-fact if you are bitten by a Dog that doesn't belong to you, You should see a doctor. Rabies is Fatal.

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