Rabies has a scary reputation, thanks to its part in classic stories like Old Yeller and To Kill a Mockingbird. Visions of slobbery, crazed dogs chasing people are closely associated with this disease. While rabies is a very serious disease that is virtually always fatal, it is controllable. Most of us will never encounter it. Rabies is a viral disease and has a preference for nerve tissues. It is spread through the bite or saliva of an infected animal and has been found in virtually all mammals. Most epidemics in the United States are in fox, raccoons, and skunks. Bats are one of the rare species that may carry rabies without ill effects — at least for a while.

Signs You Will See

Rabies virus goes for nerve tissue. It travels from the point of entry (such as a bite wound on a leg) up along nerves. There are two forms of the disease. In dumb or paralytic rabies, the victim is quiet, minimally responsive, and drools extensively. In the furious form, the infected animal is highly aggressive. A maxim for most animal caretakers is that a change in behavior (with no obvious cause and in an unimmunized animal) could signal rabies, so precautions should be taken.

Treatment and Prevention

Sadly, not even extensive supportive treatment can help with rabies. An infected dog will die. Therefore, prevention is by far the best way to handle rabies. Dogs that are current on their rabies vaccine are considered to be well protected, but if your dog has a known exposure to a rabid animal (a fight with a raccoon, for example), your veterinarian will suggest a booster vaccine. Dogs without current vaccinations that bite someone must be quarantined to see if they develop the disease or may even be euthanized. Rabies vaccination is required by law in most areas, and this is one vaccine you can't afford to skip.