World Rabies Day

Dr. David Gagnon

September 28^th, 2016 marks the 10^th World Rabies Day.  The purpose of World Rabies Day is to “Educate.  Vaccinate.  Eliminate.”  Rabies is a disease that affects animals and people worldwide.  Rabies infections have been dramatically reduced with the advent of vaccines.  If a person or animal is exposed and becomes sick, rabies is almost 100% fatal.  The first case of human survival was actually right here in Wisconsin back in 2004.

Rabies is transmitted through saliva, which is why bite wounds from animals pose such a high risk.  The biggest rabies carrier in Wisconsin is the bat.  Last year, there was one cow who tested positive in Wisconsin, and I suspect it was exposed from a bat bite.  If you or any person you know is ever bitten by a pet, this animal would undergo a series of examinations by your veterinarian.  If your animal is up-to-date on his rabies vaccine, this is a simple 10 day examination period.  If he is not up-to-date, the quarantine period may be much longer and more involved.

While human rabies exposure is rare in the United States, there are an estimated 59,000 human deaths worldwide due to rabies, and most are from dog bites.  And while rabies is nearly 100% fatal, it is also nearly 100% preventable.  If these dogs were vaccinated before being exposed, they would not likely have been affected, nor would they be able to spread it to others.

What does rabies look like?  Most people imagine aggressive animals who are frothing at the mouth, and trying to bite people.  This is one manifestation, but truly, it can cause a number of behavioral changes because the virus affects the neurologic system.  Therefore, if you ever see an animal acting oddly, especially wildlife, do not approach it.  In vet school I was taught to “never trust a smiling skunk.”  This means if an animal (like a skunk, raccoon, bat, etc.) that usually doesn’t hang around people, is seen approaching humans and acting out of the ordinary, do not touch it; it may have rabies.

If you are ever bitten by an animal, immediately wash the wound, then seek medical attention.  If you wait to see if you get sick, you’ll only realize problems after it’s too late.  If the animal can be examined, that’s even better.  If not, or if the animal is suspected to have rabies, your doctor may require post-exposure prophylaxis, which is a series of injections to help your body fight off potential infection before the onset of clinical symptoms.

What if you have an indoor-only animal, like a cat?  It’s still important to vaccinate.  As mentioned above, the biggest rabies carrier in Wisconsin is the bat.  Bats have a knack for finding their way indoors, regardless of whether you have an old house or a new one.  I have experienced this once before, where a housecat was found playing with a bat indoors.  I sent the bat in for testing, which fortunately came back negative.  But it goes to show, that even indoor pets are at risk.  If all our pets are vaccinated against rabies, the safer they will be, and the safer we will be too.

If your pet is due for its rabies vaccine, or you’re unsure, please call the friendly staff at Kaukauna Veterinary Clinic to help schedule an appointment.  Let’s keep our pets healthy and safe!