Many people love Dogs and therefore keep them as pets and companion animals. However care and due diligence is needed in order to safe guide the health of both animal and owner. As you may be aware, rabies is a common occurrence in this part of the world, so there is the need to educate Dog owners on what rabies is and how to prevent or mitigate its effects if at all there is a confirmed case.

Rabies in a layman’s definition is a contagious and fatal viral disease of dogs and other mammals, transmissible through the saliva to humans and causing madness and convulsions.

Rabies is a severe, and often fatal, viral polioencephalitis that specifically affects the gray matter of the dog's brain and its central nervous system (CNS). The primary way the rabies virus is transmitted to dogs in the United States is through a bite from a disease carrier: foxes, raccoons, skunks, and bats. Infectious virus particles are retained in a rabid animal's salivary glands to better disseminate the virus through
their saliva.

Once the virus enters the dog's body, it replicates in the cells of the muscles, and then spreads to the closest nerve fibers, including all peripheral, sensory and motor nerves, traveling from there to the CNS via fluid within the nerves. The virus can take up to a month to develop, but once the symptoms have begun, the virus progresses rapidly. This inflammatory infection also has zoonotic (i.e. transferable from man to animal) characteristics and can therefore be transmitted to humans.

Who is most at risk?
People that work closely with wildlife, veterinarians, and travelers are at the highest risk of exposure. Fortunately, there is a vaccine that is available to protect high-risk people. Animals that come into contact with wildlife and are not vaccinated are at a higher risk of infection. While the risk of coming into contact with the virus is very low, it nevertheless does exist. Because of the movement of carriers, there is always the risk of exposure.

How do you safeguard your dog, yourself and family?

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