Rabies is Back! Is Your Pet Safe?

For all pet parents, caring for our four-legged fur kids typically includes providing top-quality food, an active lifestyle, and the appropriate round of vaccines each year.

But while all these steps are fairly rote for many of us, that last one has become critical. You see, health officials are now reinforcing to pet owners the importance of staying on top of those rabies vaccines.

Yes, several states are not only reporting that animals have tested positive for rabies but that they’re experiencing sharp increases in these types of incidents over previous years. In fact, for the lone-star state of Texas, they’re dealing with their first reported cases in over a decade and that includes 22 separate incidences of rabies in wild animals.

While the world’s leading health care provider, the Mayo Clinic, has identified the most common carrier of rabies to be bats, they’re also flagging foxes, raccoons, skunks, and coyotes as transmitters of the disease. You know… the animals our pets are most likely to come into contact with.

And it doesn’t require your pet to get into a full-on brawl with an infected critter. A simple scratch or bite where saliva from the rabid animal enters a break in your pet’s skin or even finds its way into their eyes, nostrils, or mouth can be enough to infect them. For those of us who have suffered the dread spray of a skunk, the answer is “no”, your dog can’t get rabies from being sprayed.

Symptoms will typically show up three to eight weeks after your pet has been exposed to the virus and include extreme agitation, drooling, dilated pupils, and an inability to swallow. Unfortunately, once the signs present themselves, the condition is always 100% fatal as the virus infects the central nervous system.

If your pet has been bitten by an animal you suspect may be rabid, get them to the emergency vet immediately. If they are up-to-date on their vaccines, a booster shot will be administered. Your pet will then need to be quarantined to watch for any change in behavior. If they are already showing signs of toxicity, euthanasia will be recommended as the life expectancy is somewhere in the range of seven to 10 days.

Now, for those new to dog ownership, here’s how the rabies vaccine works. If you adopt a puppy, they will get their first shot when they’re between three and four months of age. That will be good for one year. After a year, they get a booster to help build up their immune system. Following that, you should have your pet immunized every one to three years. Check your state or provincial requirements, because they may vary, however your veterinarian will be able to send you reminders as the required reimmunization date comes due.

Above all else, don’t ever think you can skip a year because your pet is primarily indoors and safe from wildlife. An assumption like that can cost them their life.