What is rabies and when should your dog get their vaccine? In this post, our Fremont vets discuss what rabies is and how often dogs need rabies shots.
What is Rabies
The deadly rabies virus can severely impact the brain and is transmitted through contact with an infected animal's saliva. Pets, livestock, wildlife, and humans can all be affected.
The CDC sees about 5,000 cases of rabies in animals annually, most of which are cases occurring in wild animals. Bats, raccoons, foxes, and skunks are the animals most likely to carry this virus.
This virus is almost always fatal. Once signs of the deadly virus appear, the animal can typically be expected to die within a few days.
How Rabies Incubates & Spreads
To contract rabies, a dog would need to come into contact with the saliva of an infected animal. Typically, it will take between 10 and 14 days for your dog to start showing symptoms.
However, symptoms can take months or years to appear depending on how your pet was exposed to the virus.
Symptoms of Rabies
Dogs with rabies may exhibit numerous signs and symptoms, including:
- Barking differently
- Excessive drooling
- Uncharacteristic aggression, fearfulness, or even affection
- Overreaction to touch, sound, or light
- Biting at the site where they were exposed to the virus
- Difficulty swallowing
- Loss of balance when walking
- Partial or complete paralysis
- Falling
- Seizures
No Test for Rabies
If your pet comes into contact with an infected animal and isn't vaccinated against rabies, you will have to make some very difficult choices.
Since animals cannot be tested for rabies, dog owners who find themselves in this position are forced to decide whether to quarantine their pet and wait for symptoms to appear or to euthanize a beloved family member. Quarantined pets are unlikely to survive even if they do not initially show signs.
No Treatment for Rabies
Once your dog has become infected with rabies, there is nothing a veterinarian can offer to treat the disease. Quarantine or euthanasia are your only options. This is why prevention is so critical.
The Rabies Vaccine
Rabies vaccines are highly effective and immunogenic. It's rare for the vaccine to fail.
Requirements regarding pet vaccinations vary from city to city and state to state, but most states do mandate that dogs have up-to-date rabies vaccines.
Keeping your pet's rabies vaccines up to date protects both your dog and the people in your household against this deadly neurological disease.
Rabies shots Schedule
The rabies vaccine is an important one on the list of vaccinations your dog needs to protect their health and prevent a variety of deadly diseases.
Our Fremont vets recommend the rabies vaccine as a core vaccine to be given to puppies starting between ages 14 to 16 weeks. It is also part of our core kitten and cat vaccinations.
Because vaccine antibodies wane over time, the rabies vaccine will begin to lose efficacy. This is why follow-up booster doses must be administered.
It is recommended to get the booster shot once your dog reaches 12 to 16 months old and every 1 to 3 years depending on the type of vaccine your veterinarian uses.
Can My Dog Get Rabies If They Are Vaccinated?
While no vaccine is 100% effective, the rabies vaccine is so effective that dogs who have been vaccinated and have received all their booster shots rarely become infected.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.
