We all love our pets. Well, that's probably not true; most of us love our pets….. Hopefully. But, whether we love our pet to death or we really have no idea why we got it in the first place, we do not want it getting rabies. Sometimes dogs get rabies, and this would occur because of an interaction with some kind of undomesticated animal. If you live in a place where an interaction like this might occur, you should know some of the signs of rabies in a dog so that you or a loved one, or another pet, don't become infected with rabies as well.
Early signs of rabies
A number of phases may be experienced by a dog that has rabies. The first signs of rabies will see in a dog may include various things. Your dog may seem kind of fidgety. He or she might seem like they want to hurt you, or they might try to stay away from people or other animals. Other things might occur as well in this first phase, such as fever or idleness in a dog that is usually bouncing off the walls.
Indicators you will see in the later phases of rabies
As the disease develops, you will probably notice more apparent signs of your dog having rabies. Some of these later-developed signs of rabies may include flinching away from noises, someone's touch, and brightness. Your dog may have its jaw dropped open. It may lose its strength and want of food, and it may start shaking.
Your dog may also attempt to keep itself in an area away from bright places, which you may have guessed from its shyness of light mentioned before. A dog infected with rabies in the later stages may also be heavily breathing.
What to do if your dog shows signs of rabies
If it seems like a likely scenario that your dog has rabies because of the indicators you see, you should attempt to confine the dog in a place where it will not hurt you, other people, or other animals. The most preferable place would be some sort of kennel.
If, when attempting to confine your dog, you feel like you may be liable to some type of harm because of the state of the dog, you should have animal control confine your dog instead of you. You should also, of course, contact your veterinarian. If, for one reason or another, you have a dog and not a veterinarian, get in contact with your local veterinarian hospital. Your dog will need to be taken to the vet and kept there for a little over a week and half. This is how possible rabies must be dealt with because of the chance of mix up of rabies and some other completely different problem. Your dog's blood will be tested and looked in order to see whether or not your dog has, in fact, become infected with rabies. Although this is the needed procedure to deal with a potential rabies infection in your dog, if your dog does end up having rabies, it sadly may not end up surviving the virus.
Article sources
"26 Warning Signs of Rabies in Dogs – Pets Adviser." Petful. N.p., 08 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 July 2016.
"Rabies in Dogs." Pet Health & Nutrition Information & Questions. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2016.