RABIES

Something else your pet can bring home tonight.

What is rabies?

Rabies is a disease of animals and people.  Rabies is caused by a virus that attacks the brain and nerves. Once the virus is inside, it spreads through the body and kills the victims, if they are not treated quickly. It kills almost any mammal or human that gets sick from it. The good news is the rabies in humans, pets, and livestock can be prevented by a vaccine.  For  people who are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal, prompt treatment will protect the person from getting rabies.  Treatment usually involves a total of 5 shots of safe and effective rabies vaccine in the arm given over several days and one shot of another medicine called Human Rabies Immune Globulin (HRIG) given immediately.

REMEMBER!!

Remember wild animals should not be kept as pets.  They are a potential rabies threat to their owners and to others. Enjoy all wild animals from a distance, EVEN IT THEY SEEM FRIENDLY. A rabid animal sometimes  acts tame. I you see an animal acting strangely, report it to the city or county animal control department.  OR if none is available in your area. Contact the local fish and game department.  Don't Go neat it yourself.

Animals that have been bitten need to be confined for 90 days.  Normally after 45 days if no signs of......
How is rabies spread?

The rabies virus is spread through the saliva (spit) of a rabid animal, usually because a rabies animal bites or scratches another person or animal.  The virus may also get into the body through open cuts or wounds, or through the eyes, nose, or mouth.

What animals can spread rabies?

Rabies is spread mostly by wild animals. In the United States and Canada, rabies is usually found in raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, woodchucks, and bats.  Domestic animals like dogs, cats, ferrets, and farm animals can get rabies from wild animals.  this is why it's so important to vaccinate pets and livestock.  These a re the animals that people are around the most.  Pets and stray dogs and cats can act like a bridge between wild animals and people, bringing the rabies from wild animal s into your home.

Any mammal (animals that have fur and are warm blooded) can get rabies.  Birds, fish, snakes, and amphibians do not carry rabies. ALthough it is possible for rodents to get the disease, animals like ice, rats, and squirrels almost never carry rabies.

How can I tell if an animal has rabies?

You can't tell if an animal has rabies. when an animal is sick with rabies, it may behave strangely. But a rabid animal may also appear healthy or even tame.  The only way to tell if an animal has rabies is by *testing it in a laboratory, or for some pets and livestock, by a quarantine to see if rabies develops.

* The animal must be destroyed before this test  can be done. The tested tissue is taken from the brain of the dead animal.

If you have been bitten, scratched, or exposed to an animals saliva:
*Wash the wound right away with soap and water for ten minutes.
*Call your doctor or a hospital emergency room.
*Get a description of the animal that bit or scratched you.
*Call your local animal control officer (through the police department or the board of health) for assistance.  The animal that bit or scratched you may have to be test for rabies or quarantined.

If your pet has been bitten, scratched, or exposed to an animals saliva:

*Try to find out what type of animal bit or scratched your pet. DO NOT TOUCH THE ATTACKING ANIMAL.
*Use gloves or a hose to wash your pets wound.  DO NOT touch your pet with your bare hands.  There may be saliva from the rabid animal still on your pets , even if you don't see a bite or wound.
*Call your veterinarian.
*Call your local animal control officer. He or she will know the right steps to protect you and your pet.

Personal NOTE: I met up with a raccoon not to long ago in my yard.   It looked fine but being aware of the dangers SAVED MY LIFE. It acted for the most part  fine.  Walked normal, eyes normal.  BUT its started to spit at me.  Not hitting me with it. (Spitting is were the animal with spit saliva at you , much like a man does when he spits in a can or street). but in this case right at you. The animal even though was spitting was hungry.  I have LIVE traps and ran in the house and hoped he would go in it.  HE DID.  Alive and well,  Since the animal was spitting at me with no reason really,  usually they just keep going or I do and nothing ever comes of it. But something told me DANGER.. Call it female instinct, sic sense, I don't know but any ways.  I called animal control on this one. Animals control picked it up and since it was acting strangely it was destroyed and tested.  IT Spat at the officer and she had to get the shots since it got her in the face. The tests take  about 2 days to 4 to come back and we were lucky, the officer trusted my judgment and got the shots. THE ANIMAL WAS RABID!!! So maybe you  think it wont happen to you, We get a grip  IT CAN, does, and will.