Rabies is a deadly disease that can harm your dog and put your family at risk. This article explains what rabies is, its symptoms, and essential steps to protect your dog from a usually fatal infection.
WORDS LIM TECK CHOON
FACTS ABOUT RABIES
It Can Come from a Bite
- The rabies virus is spread through infected saliva.
- When an infected creature bites through your skin, the virus can enter the body through infected saliva.
It’s Bad for the Brain—Really Bad
- Once it enters the body, the rabies virus can quickly move via the bloodstream to the brain
- It can then cause swelling and inflammation in the brain. If left untreated, this can be fatal.
- Most deaths from rabies occur among children.
DOES YOUR DOG HAVE RABIES?
In popular media, a dog with rabies is often portrayed as foaming excessively around the mouth, but things are a little more complicated in real life.
You May Not be Able to Tell from a Glance Whether a Dog Has Rabies
There is a window of time after infection when an infected creature will not show any symptoms of illness but could still infect other mammals in the meantime.
However, There Are Some Clues
- Your dog begins to behave in a strange manner.
- For example, they may become more timid and move more slowly.
- In fact, it is more common for dogs with rabies to behave this way, compared to the stereotypical aggressive, barking behaviour shown in popular media!
The rule of thumb here is to bring our pet to a veterinary physician for a check-up if we suspect that it may be infected by rabies.
Vaccinate for Peace of Mind
Vaccinate our pet every year with the rabies vaccine, and we’ll have nothing to worry about!
Report Dogs that Behave Unusually
- If we spot any stray dogs behaving strangely, especially during a rabies outbreak, we should report them to the city council.
- In our report, we should include description (colour, species, etc) as well as location of the stray.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR DOG DURING A RABIES OUTBREAK
- Vaccinate your dog.
- Keep your dog isolated in your house compound (no going out!), so that it will not come into contact with potentially infected dogs. Isolation is necessary even after receiving a vaccination, as a dog still needs some time after a jab to build up the necessary immunity against rabies.
WHAT IF YOUR DOG HAS RABIES?
- Unfortunately, at this time there is no effective cure or treatment for rabies.
- Rabies is almost always fatal; infected dogs will succumb to the disease less than a week after showing signs of infection.
Prevention is the only way to protect our dogs. The vaccine offers protection for about a year, so the rabies vaccine should be given to our dogs once every year.
WHAT TO DO IF A RABIES-INFECTED DOG BIT YOU
- Don’t panic!
- Health experts say that the most important thing to do is to clean the wound with soap and running water for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Then, visit the hospital right away, and inform the doctor that you have been bitten by a dog.
| Children may not voluntarily inform adults that they have been bitten by a dog, so if you suspect that their injury is a dog bite, ask them for confirmation first. Wash the wound as described above and send them to the hospital immediately after. |
| This article is part of our series on tips and advice on how to keep your pets healthy. |
