We are very lucky in Great Britain to have the status as a Rabies Free Country. The only animal in the UK to carry Rabies are bats. It is still a very important global disease to be aware of, especially as we are able to travel abroad with our pets to countries that sadly do have a problem with rabies.

Rabies is classed as a ‘zoonotic’ disease, which means it can pass from animals to humans. Internationally there has been a large movement over the last few years to reduce the number of global cases of Rabies, both in animals and humans, and this was celebrated on the 28th September 2020 as World Rabies Day.

Rabies is a viral disease that can affect mammals and is found globally including North, Central and South America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and parts of Europe. The virus is transmitted in saliva so transmission often arises following an animal bite. The virus ‘incubates’ for a variable length of time, often two weeks to four months, moving from the nervous system to the salivary glands.

The disease progresses in stages as follows:.

• Initial signs of Rabies include behaviour changes such as friendly animals becoming shy and nervous; as well as hypersensitivity to noise or light and in some dogs they have an increased tendency to lick their owners.

• This initial stage then progresses to increased aggression, ‘staring’ eye expression, drooping lower jaw with excessive salivation, itching and increased thirst.

• In the final stages of Rabies, the clinical signs include weak muscles (especially the legs and tail), difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids, saliva frothing at the mouth, finally ending in generalised paralysis and seizures which then progresses to a coma and death.

As you can see Rabies is a horrible disease and, as always, prevention is better than cure. Vaccination is key for this as it allows the body to produce its own antibodies and prevents the virus entering the ‘host’s’ nervous system. In the UK we only need to vaccinate our pets if they are travelling abroad. If you are considering travelling abroad with your pet, please read our ‘Travelling Abroad with Your Pets’ article for more information.

If this article has raised any questions please contact us on 01665 252250 or email at info@coquetvets.co.uk.