Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

Treatment: Acute cases must be hospitalized for intensive veterinary
treatment.
Prevention: Vaccination is highly effective in preventing infectious
canine hepatitis. Infectious canine hepatitis does not cause hepatitis in
humans.
RABIES
INFECTIOUS DISEASES • 75
Rabies is a fatal disease that occurs in nearly all warm-blooded animals,
although rarely in rodents. In the United States, vaccination programs for
dogs and other domestic animals have been remarkably effective. This has
greatly reduced the risk of rabies in pets and their owners.
The major wildlife reservoirs for rabies (with substantial overlap) are the
skunk in the Midwest, Southwest, and California; raccoons in New England
and the East; foxes in New York, neighboring eastern Canada, Alaska, and
the Southwest; and coyotes and foxes in Texas. Bats, which are distributed
widely, also carry rabies.
The main source of infection for humans outside the United States continues
to be a bite from an infected dog or cat. In India, for example, a country
that lacks an effective rabies control program, it is estimated that several
thousand people die of rabies each year. Travelers to countries where rabies is
endemic should be aware of the risk of dog bites.
The rabies virus, which is present in infected saliva, enters the body at the
site of a bite. Saliva on an open wound or disrupted mucous membrane also
constitutes exposure. The average incubation period in dogs is two to eight
weeks, but it can be as short as one week or as long as one year. The virus travels
to the brain along the nerves. The more distant the bite is from the brain,
the longer the period of incubation. The virus then travels back along the
nerves to the mouth. Entry into the salivary glands occurs less than 10 days
before symptoms appear—which means animals can be infectious before they
show any signs of rabies (this is unusual but is possible).
Dogs can show either of two versions: the aggressive form, where they
attack and act very boldly aggressive; or the “dumb” form, where they are
ataxic (an inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements) and may
walk into objects. In both cases, you may notice extensive drooling due to
paralysis of the muscles used for swallowing.
Any dog who is bitten by an animal who is not absolutely known to be free
of rabies must be assumed to have been exposed to rabies, until proven otherwise.
The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians recommends
that if the dog has previously been vaccinated against rabies,
revaccinate immediately and observe the dog under leash confinement at
home for 45 days. If the dog has not been vaccinated, either euthanize the
animal or confine him under strict quarantine without direct handling by