Rabies Symptoms in Dogs

Before we proceed towards discussing the various rabies symptoms in dogs, let's get a better understanding of this dog health affliction itself. The possibility of contacting rabies exists for all mammals. This viral infection gets transmitted via saliva of the infected organism and the rabies virus attacks the central nervous system. It reaches the brain by following the route to it via the peripheral nerves and eventually causes inflammation of the brain. The rabies virus belongs to the viral genus Lyssavirus and it is neurotrophic in nature. The structure of a virus of this type consists of a negative-sensed single stranded RNA genome contained within a viral envelop.

Before reaching the brain, the rabies virus also sneaks into various other organs of the infected creature's body. However, the highest concentration of the rabies virus travels to the salivary glands, making it easy for this parasitic life form to get transmitted to other hosts via saliva contact through bites or through licks on broken skin. Let's, now, get to the details of rabies symptoms in dogs followed by a brief discussion on diagnosis and treatment of canine rabies.

Rabies Signs and Symptoms in Dogs

Most often, rabies in dogs is responsible for rabies in humans in urban regions as dogs are the most common mammals susceptible to this fatal viral infection that come in frequent and regular contact with humans. Different symptoms of rabies in dogs appear in subsequent stages of viral stronghold over the dog's system. Early rabies symptoms in dogs may manifest as nervousness, hesitation, anxiety with an overall feeling of disorientation and the infected canine would show signs of being ill at ease even in non threatening and familiar surroundings. This is the prodromal stage. These early symptoms usually surface around three to eight weeks after the canine gets infected and generally last for two to four days. Remember, the symptoms of rabies start showing only when the virus has traveled to the brain and, since the rabies virus is a slow-moving predator, it may take quite some time to suspect an abnormality in the infected organism.

The prodromal stage is usually characterized by a radical change in the overall personality of the dog. A playful and active dog may become calm and lethargic whereas a previously friendly dog may show sudden signs of aggression. The furious stage follows the prodromal stage. This stage is characterized by the dog exhibiting signs of extreme irritability and sensitivity to light and sounds. This is the stage where an infected dog is most likely to attack even at the slightest instance of contact with other animals or humans. These symptoms of rabies in cats are almost similar to those of dogs. The furious stage may last anywhere between one and seven days.

Fatality is assured when the dog enters the third stage which is known as the paralytic stage. The infected dog loses control of the jaws and limbs and it has difficulty in breathing. It also tends to salivate a lot during this phase. The dog gradually loses its ability to drink and swallow resulting into the development of hydrophobia-like symptoms. As the viral infestation of the brain, causing the organ to swell, keeps increasing, the dog starts losing control over many of the organs and functions that are regulated by the brain and nerves. In this stage, The dog may also find difficulty in recognizing its owner and family members. This stage leads to death from respiratory failure due to paralysis of facial muscles.

Diagnosis of Rabies

On suspecting a sudden change in the dog's behavior as rabies symptoms, you should immediately take your pet for diagnosis. The usual mode of diagnosis available as of today is conducting a tests on saliva, urine or skin samples. These tests may not reveal the correct cause of ailment. The most accurate diagnosis is done by testing a brain culture of the infected animals but this can only be done after it has died.

Once the aforementioned symptoms of rabies in dogs start showing, nothing can be done to prevent its death. The best way to protect your canine family member from the clutches of this deadly virus is by getting it vaccinated against rabies. Your dog may experience certain minor rabies vaccine side effects like vomiting, lethargy, facial inflammation, fever as well as some serious ones like loss of consciousness, circulatory shock and seizures. These side effects usually show up within three days of taking the shot. However, certain side effects may show up even months after getting vaccinated. Prevention is better than cure and in case of rabies, prevention is the only way - there's no cure once the infection invades. Be alert to any abnormality and stay up-to-date about this and other dog health questions. It could save your beloved canine's life.