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Overview

Rabies is an acute viral disease that can be transmitted from wild animals to unvaccinated pets and livestock, as well as to humans. It is caused by the rabies virus, which is present in the saliva of infected animals, and is transmitted through infected secretions (usually through the bite of a rabid animal). Once infection occurs, the virus spreads to the central nervous system and causes inflammation in the brain (acute encephalitis). Rabies is almost always fatal.


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[t. hawk]

yesterday my dog woke me up as she was under the bed making all kinds of scratching sounds when i pulled her out as when i called she did not come i found her with her mouth full of saliva and she evidently had been salivating for quite some time before i woke. she was not responsive but appeared to have gone through some sort of (what appeared to me as a seizure or a stroke) she was full of saliva all over her coat. I held her as i would a little baby (she is a toy north american eskimo dog) and comforted her. She did not seem to respond. By the time i had gotten her to the vets office she had seized approximately 7 times and the episodes lasted about 5 minutes each time but the saliva kept coming. Once at the vets they gave her anti seizure medication and that did not appear to stop her seizures.. I am wondering if she could have come into contact with a rabid fox or wolf as we live in a wooded area where there is quite a bit of wildlife. In the process of moving her she did bite me (i don't think she actually knew who I was as she appeared to have a blank look in her eyes) she did break the skin and today my finger is quite swollen and it appears to be going up the finger. Since she appeared also to have become paralized on her right side (she was looking like a drunk dog, figure of speech, when she tried to stand up) and the vet also stated that she appeared paralized i wondered if she may have actually had rabbies and if so what should i do, know? I also have a cat in the house who drank from the same water bowl. Should i go to the hospital and get a rabies shot for myself? Does any one else in the forum have any advise or any similar situation to share. In the end of this ordeal with my dog because she did not appear to come out of this state of seizing and drooling i had to make a very heartbreaking decision to euthunize her. She was my pet and companion for 11 and 1/2 years and today i miss her very much.