Rabies in dogs is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases in the world today. The disease appears mainly in summer with typical signs such as madness, indiscriminate bites, drooling…
Rabies in dogs is a disease caused by the rabies virus. They affect the nervous system and cause inflammation of the brain, causing the animal to go mad and then die. The disease usually occurs in domestic animals such as dogs, cats, and a small number of wild animals. This is a very dangerous disease, but it can be prevented if dog owners are aware of disease prevention.
It is now June, the peak period of summer with high temperatures reaching almost 40 degrees Celsius, which is also a good condition for the rabies virus to develop. Recently, there have been many rabies deaths across the country, including 1 vet.
Characteristics of rabies in dogs
Rabies in dogs is caused by a rabies virus from the Rhabdovirus family. They are transmitted directly from one individual to another through the saliva of bites or scratches. Often, when sick, rabid dogs will frantically attack people and other animals, making it easier for the virus to spread.
Signs of rabies in dogs.
The mechanism of occurrence of the disease is as follows. Once an animal is infected, the rabies virus will begin to invade and hide in the muscle tissues of the body. They exist and develop in parallel with the body in a normal way, at this stage, the infected host has not shown any typical symptoms.
Causes of rabies
After a period of at least 1-3 months, the virus will begin to attack the central nervous system. The virus takes 10 to 180 days to spread. And after this stage, they attack very quickly and cause the dog’s body to show some obvious symptoms. 4-5 days later the animal will die.
- Incubation period: The fastest is 7 days and it can also be several months depending on factors such as the place of the bite, the health of the animal. The average is 10 days. This is considered the incubation period for rabies. The animal shows some unclear signs, which makes the owner negligent and subjective because he thinks it is another disease.
- When the disease occurs again, it is divided into 2 types: silly and crazy
– crazy body: With the initial manifestation of psychological changes, dogs tend to seek a dark place, hide, bark aimlessly, or appear restless… after these manifestations, they begin to be more stimulated by aggressive actions such as biting people, pounce on excess, barking for a long time…
The dog refuses to eat, is thirsty but unable to drink, foams at the mouth, drools, and becomes increasingly frantic and aggressive. During this final stage, he will tend to run away from home and bite and gnaw everything in his path, even humans.
crazy madness. internet photos
After the virus attacks the nervous system, they will be paralyzed, not eat, all actions will be paralyzed, they will become weak and die. Dogs will die 4-7 days after the first symptoms begin.
– Silent form: Unlike the wild type, the mute rabies form shows the opposite symptoms when the animal is sad, hemiplegia, jaw muscles… causing continuous drooling and unable to close the mouth.
Silence occurs extremely quickly after only 3 days, the animal is attacked by the virus, causing paralysis of the circulatory and respiratory systems. This is usually the most common form of the disease today.
How to treat and prevent rabies in dogs
There is currently no cure for rabies in dogs, but you can prevent rabies in your dog by getting vaccinated against the disease every year. Currently, rabies is becoming one of the 12 most dangerous diseases in the world today. Prevention is the only way to prevent your dog from contracting the rabies virus
Vaccination is the best way to prevent rabies in dogs.
- Vaccinate the dogs every year according to the time of the veterinary follow-up.
- Regularly tie your dog, avoid letting it loose in the street. It is best to be accompanied when the dog is away from home and must wear a muzzle with large dogs.
- Clean the waiting area regularly.
- Upon noticing signs and abnormalities, they should be isolated and monitored. Contact your local vet or veterinary care center immediately for advice.
- When the animal dies of rabies, disinfect the entire dog play and food area with bleach and let the sun shine.
- Destruction of individual dead dogs of rabies by cremation.
