RABIES & YOUR PET
Published in part by American Veterinary Medical Association

What is Rabies?

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. The virus is usually transmitted by a bite from a rabid animal. Prompt and appropriate treatment after being bitten and before the disease develops can stop the infection and prevent the disease in humans.

The best cure is PREVENTION!! VACCINATE!

What Animals Get Rabies?

Only mammals can get rabies; birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians do not. Most cases of rabies occur in wild animals - mainly skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes. In recent years, cats have become the most common domestic animal infected with rabies because many cats are not vaccinated and are exposed to rabid wildlife while outside. Rabies also occurs in dogs and cattle in significant numbers and has been diagnosed in horses, goats, sheep, swine and ferrets.

Improved vaccination programs and control of stray animals have been effective in preventing rabies in most pets. Approved rabies vaccines are available for cats, dogs, ferrets, horses, cattle and sheep. Licensed oral vaccines have been used for mass immunization of wildlife with the approval of the state agency responsible for animal rabies control.

Rabies & Humans

Rabies vaccination and animal control programs, along with better treatment for people who have been bitten, have dramatically reduced the number of human cases of rabies in the United States. Most of the relatively few, recent human cases acquired in this country have resulted from exposures to bats. See our article on Bats and Rabies.

Dogs are still a significant source of rabies in other countries. Travelers should be aware of this risk when traveling outside of the United States.

If you think you or your pet have been exposed to rabies, consult your Doctor and our office immediately. For more information or educational materials pertaining to rabies, please contact your Texas Department of Health Zoonosis Control office in Tyler at (903) 533-5212 or visit the Zoonosis Control Division's website at www.tdh.state.tx.us/zoonosis.

For additional information or feel you need to have your pet examined, give us a call!.

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