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Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the dog's nervous system, brain and spinal cord, where it destroys tissue and causes fatal infalmmation. It can afflict any warm-blooded animal and humans. The virus is present in the saliva of infected animals, often racoons, foxes, skunks, and bats, and is usually transmitted through bite wounds. Rabies can also be transmitted if the infected saliva contacts a fresh wound or lining of the mouth or nose.
Of the two main classes of symptoms, the first is "furious rabies", in which the dog shows a period of melancholy or depression, then irritation, and finally paralysis. The first period can be from a few hours to several days, and during this time the dog is cross and will change his position often, lose his appetite, and begin to lick, and bite or swallow foreign objects. During this phase, the dog is wild and has impulses to run away. The dog may act fearless and bite everything in sight. If he is caged or confined, he will fight at the bars and possibly break teeth or fracture his jaw with his bark becoming a peculiar howl. In the final stage, the dog's lower jaw becomes paralyzed and hangs down. He then walks with a stagger, and saliva drips from his mouth. About four to eight days after the onset of paralysis, the dog dies.
The second class of symptoms is referred to as "dumb rabies" and is characterized by the dog's walking in a bearlike manner with his head down. The lower jaw is paralyzed and the dog is unable to bite. It appears as if he has a bone caught in his throat. If a dog is bitten by a rabid animal, he probably can be saved if he is taken to a veterinarian for a series of injections. After the symptoms appear, however, no cure is possible. As is with other shots, an annual rabies inoculation is very important. In many areas, the administration of rabies vaccines for dogs is required by law.
Because rabies poses such grave danger to humans, any dog that is not protected by a current rabies vaccination and is exposed to a suspicious animal or bites a human, must be quarantined for six months under the direction of the local health department, or must be euthanized. Owners may be fined for having an unvaccinated pet.
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