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Foxes and raccoons are often out during the day; they are not necessarily rabid. |
by Elizabeth Bergstrom
Summer headlines buzz with stories about rabid animals. But knowing the facts about this serious, preventable disease will help protect you and your pets.
What Is Rabies?
Rabies is a virus of mammals that is mainly transmitted through saliva, usually by the bite of an infected animal. The primary carriers in the United States are:
- Raccoons
- Bats
- Skunks
- Foxes and coyotes
- Cats
- Dogs
- Ferrets
All other mammals—such as cows, small rodents and exotic pets—can also be infected with rabies, but it is very rare for them to transmit the disease to humans. The virus is short-lived when exposed to air, and very few humans in the U.S. die from it each year.
| Four Key Facts |
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1. Only 2-3 people die from rabies each year in the U.S.
2. Rabies is transmitted by animal bites or by infected saliva coming into contact with broken skin—not by blood, urine or feces.
3. A raccoon or fox out in the daytime is not necessarily rabid.
4. Opossums are very resistant to rabies. An opossum who hisses, shakes and drools is most likely trying to defend herself. |
The Signs of Rabies in Animals
Because rabies affects animals' central nervous systems, its symptoms can include partial paralysis, erratic movement, continual vocalizing, unprovoked aggression and uncharacteristic tameness. No symptoms show during its incubation period.
Animals who behave strangely or aggressively are concerning, but only laboratory tests of their brains can confirm whether they have rabies. For safety reasons, it's always best to avoid direct contact with wild animals.
If You Are Bitten or Scratched by a Potentially Rabid Animal
Any wound caused by a potentially rabid animal should be immediately washed with soap and water. Call local law enforcement or animal control to tell them what happened, and go to the doctor or emergency room as soon as possible. Treatment might include a series of shots.
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| Opossums are very resistant to rabies, but may display symptoms as a defense to ward off predators.© Corbis |
If you are bitten by a dog, cat or ferret who appears healthy, your animal care and control agency might allow the pet to be quarantined in the owner's home for 10 days. If the animal doesn't develop symptoms during that time, you won't have to seek further treatment.
If a domestic animal appears sick when she bites you, she should be evaluated by a veterinarian. Depending on the situation, you might need to receive shots that, when given promptly, effectively prevent humans from developing rabies.
| A Note about Bats |
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A very small percentage of bats carry rabies. Some species commonly live in attics, entering through small openings.
If you are bitten by a bat, follow the same steps as you would for contact with any other wild animal. In addition, try to safely capture the bat for testing using a small box and wearing thick gloves.
If you find a bat in a room with an unattended child or someone who has been sleeping, consider the possibility that the person may have been bitten.
Learn how to humanely bat-proof your house. |
Although raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats are the primary species of concern, check with a doctor or local health department if you are bitten by any wild animal.
If Your Pet Is Bitten or Scratched by a Potentially Rabid Animal
If your dog, cat or ferret is bitten by another mammal, don't touch your pet with bare hands, as this could expose you to saliva from the other animal. Wear gloves and a long-sleeved shirt to handle your pet. Keep her in a confined area, and call your veterinarian.
If a pet without a current rabies vaccination is bitten by a wild animal, and the wild animal cannot be captured for testing, the pet might have to be quarantined for as long as six months. To prevent this, always keep your pets' rabies vaccination current.
How to Protect Your Pets
Rabies vaccination for dogs, cats and ferrets is vitally important for their health as well as human health. Vaccination programs have been so effective that domestic animals now account for less than 10 percent of reported animal rabies cases in the U.S.
State and local laws dictate how often your pet must be vaccinated, as well as the minimum age for a pet's first rabies shot. Your veterinarian can give the vaccination during a regular checkup, and many animal control agencies offer vaccination clinics. Your pet might also need to wear a rabies tag, which will be provided along with a certificate of vaccination.
Keeping your cats and ferrets inside, and supervising dogs when you take them outside, also helps protect them. A roaming animal is more likely to encounter a wild animal or other potentially unvaccinated pets.
Being a responsible pet owner not only means having them spayed or neutered, but also keeping their shots up-to-date.
Further Reading
