Different symptoms of rabies attacks

A. Violent rabies

If a dog is infected with rabies, it will first have a change in body temperature, and then behave abnormally, hiding in the dark, not listening to the owner's calls, being uneasy, shy or impatient; after these symptoms last for 1 to 3 days, it will then enter mania. During this period, the sick cat becomes ferocious, violent and restless, attacks and bites people and objects crazily, loses its sense of pain, and eventually convulses and dies. This is the violent type of rabies.

B. Silent rabies

Sometimes after sick animals are infected with rabies, they will not have the so-called manic phase, but directly enter the paralysis phase. This is the so-called silent rabies. Sick cats are paralyzed due to damage to their motor nerves. They are unable to close their mouths and swallow, causing saliva to continuously flow out. Usually, 2 to 7 days after clinical symptoms of numbness appear, the sick animals will die due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles resulting in inability to breathe.

Prevention methods:

The initial rabies vaccine should be given to puppies between 3 and 4 months of age. The protection period is one year, with annual vaccinations. For your health, your dog's health, and the health of your family and neighbors, you must keep your dog vaccinated against rabies.

Cause of rabies

A viral disease. This virus attacks the central nervous system of all warm-blooded animals, including humans; once infected, there is no cure! The vast majority of owners of cats and dogs are required by law to have their pets vaccinated against rabies. The disease is usually contracted through a bite from a rabid animal, which contains the virus in its saliva.

Rabies infection route

This virus exists in large amounts in the saliva of sick animals, so the main infection route is through bites from sick animals. In addition, the virus can also infect healthy animals through respiratory tract, digestive tract mucosa, conjunctiva and skin wounds.

Symptoms of rabies

The virus reaches the central nervous system through the nerves surrounding the wound and then spreads throughout the body. Clinical symptoms mainly include behavioral abnormalities. Progressive paralysis of the pharynx and larynx results in barking, drooping, and lengthening of the jaw, ultimately leading to dyskinesia, paralysis, cramps, and death.

The incubation period of rabies is 3 to 8 weeks, and the symptoms can be roughly divided into three stages:

Phase 1:

Personality changes, eyes become distracted and confused, lack of desire to be friendly to people and other animals, or abnormally excessive kindness. Becoming unusually excited or restless, or unusually quiet. It usually manifests one of two types: mania or retardation.

Second stage:

Mania is a phenomenon in which a dog wanders away from home, away from familiar people or environments, becomes easily excited, moves constantly, bites anything it encounters, especially wounds on its own body, and barks for no reason. . There will be a slight tremor, followed by a spasmodic contraction of the muscles. Appetite disorder, chewing andSwallowing any object.

The third stage:

Dogs with muscle paralysis, excessive salivation, and may suffocate. The bark becomes hoarse or silent, the jaw may become loose and the tongue hangs out. The head may hang uneasily or turn abnormally. His steps were unsteady, his hind legs were weak, and he was eventually unable to stand. It will die soon. The average duration of the disease is 4 to 7 days, but some people live up to 10 days.

What to do if a dog is infected with rabies

If a dog unfortunately shows clinical symptoms of rabies, it should be isolated and observed. Once it is determined to be rabies, it will be killed without treatment to prevent the epidemic from expanding and endangering humans and animals. If your dog is bitten by a suspected infected animal, the wound should be drained of blood, washed with plenty of water and soap, and then disinfected with 3% iodine tincture or 70% alcohol. The dog should be given a booster injection of rabies vaccine as soon as possible and be isolated and observed for 90 days; if unfortunately, the dog is bitten by a suspected infected animal. If symptoms of rabies appear, euthanasia must be carried out in accordance with the law. The rabies virus must rely on living organisms and cannot exist alone in the environment. It can be destroyed by dryness, heat, sunlight, and general disinfectants.

Generally, the incubation period of rabies in humans can be longer or even decades. If you have a pet dog, please take your dog for a rabies vaccine every year. If you are unfortunately bitten by a dog, whether it is a domestic pet dog or the skin is not broken and bleeding, you need to go to the hospital for injection of rabies drugs.