Vaccinate Your Pet Against Rabies: It’s the Law!

By Kim Krisciunas

Animal Friends


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Just about everyone is familiar with the story Old Yeller, the tale of a brave, loyal dog in the 1860s who contracts rabies while defending his human family from an attack by a rabid wolf. Sadly, because Old Yeller has been exposed to rabies, his owner must destroy him in order to keep this deadly disease from spreading any further.

Today, the availability of vaccines has made rabies in dogs and cats and sad endings like Old Yeller’s a relative rarity.

So, what exactly is rabies? It’s a disease transmitted by the saliva of an infected animal which enters the central nervous system and causes a brain infection that’s usually fatal.

 

In animals, rabies can take two forms: “furious” and “paralytic.” The “furious” form includes aggression, excessive vocalization, dilated pupils, difficulty swallowing, loss of appetite, restlessness, and/or biting at objects and other animals. The “paralytic” form includes decreased activity, lack of coordination and weakness of the hind legs. As the disease progresses, the animal’s lower jaw may drop, and it may drool, be unable to swallow, become paralyzed and die. Some animals may show no symptoms at all and simply die.

Once humans develop symptoms, the disease is almost always fatal, so it’s important to seek treatment immediately if you think you’ve been exposed to rabies.  Early symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat and feeling tired. When the virus moves to the brain, the person may act nervous, confused and upset.

Pennsylvania state law requires that all dogs and cats over the age of 3 months be vaccinated against rabies in order to protect both pets and the general public from the threat of rabies. Pet owners who don’t comply with the law and keep their pets’ vaccinations current face a $300 per day fine—and the possibility that their beloved pets could contract rabies.

If you live in southwestern Pennsylvania, you can take advantage of low-cost rabies clinics from Animal Friends. Visit www.ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org for dates and locations!