UW Extension Education: The Reality of Rabies

Many of us grew up with the stories of Old Yeller or Cujo and know all about rabies and dogs foaming at the mouth, trying desperately to bite the people they used to love. So, this summer when I had raccoons and skunks enjoying the cat food by the patio door at my house, I knew I needed to take action. 

None of these creatures were displaying aggressive or abnormal behavior, but having outdoor cats as a kid made me leery of having wild animals comfortable being close to my house, especially ones which are known carriers of rabies. 

Rabies transmission

Rabies is an infectious disease affecting the central nervous system in mammals. It’s transmitted through saliva. It is not transmitted through blood, urine or feces of an infected animal, and it is not airborne. 

Rabies cannot go through unbroken skin. It is transmitted from a bite or through scratches, abrasions, open wounds or mucous membranes which come in contact with saliva or brain tissue from a rabid animal. 

In open air, the virus will die when the saliva dries up. 

All mammals can become infected, but raccoons are the most frequently reported rabid animal, followed by skunks, fox, coyotes and bats. 

Bats are the most common infector of humans worldwide. 

The most common domestic animals affected by rabies are dogs, horses, monkeys, cows, buffalo and rodents. 

According to the article “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Rabies Virus,” the good news is because of rabies vaccine, infection of domestic animals is about 10 percent of all reported incidences of rabies. 

Rabies can incubate from three to eight weeks, but might be as short as 10 days or as long as six months. 

During this stage, the virus is not infectious. When it reaches the brain and salivary glands, then it is capable of transmitting through a bite. 

Symptoms and phases

There are two major categories of rabies symptoms – the furious form, characterized by aggression and restlessness, and the dumb form where wild animals may appear tame and have no fear of humans. 

Behavior changes include animals becoming unusually aggressive or tame, losing fear of people, nocturnal animals being out in daylight, animals being overly excited or irritable, attacking anything or walking in circles. 

Rabies can also cause progressive paralysis, staggering and convulsions. Other noticeable symptoms may include excessive salivation, hypersensitivity to light and sound, vomiting, fever, choking, frothing at the mouth and making unusual sounds. 

In animals, referencing an article by Dr. Thanet Purapornpong, the disease progresses through three stages. 

First is the prodromal phase where the animal’s behavior undergoes a shift. It may go from being playful to lethargic, eating less and drinking less. This phase usually lasts for two to three days. 

The second phase is the excitative phase. This is when the neurological symptoms show. The animal may become agitated, restless and exhibit compulsive biting behavior. It may freeze, drool excessively, have a hanging tongue, limb weakness or balance issues. 

These symptoms are found one to seven days before the final stage, which is the paralytic phase. Once paralysis sets in, the animal will succumb to death within 24 hours. 

In humans, there are also three stages of symptoms. 

The prodromal phase beings with flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue and vomiting which may also lead to mood changes, anxiety and insomnia. 

Phase two includes neurological symptoms including hydrophobia, the fear of water; aerophobia, the fear of wind; nervousness and fear of touch or hallucinatory mania. 

The final stage is terminal when the patient becomes unconscious and enters a coma.

Patients typically do not survive longer than seven days after the onset of initial symptoms. 

Disease prevention

Rabies is universally fatal. 

Once symptoms begin, there is no cure. In the U.S., there are only around three fatalities a year attributed to rabies. Worldwide, the number is around 50,000 deaths, with a majority of these bites coming from bats. 

The rabies vaccination is not 100 percent effective, but rabies is always 100 percent fatal. Vaccinating animals does protect them most of the time and protects humans who handle the animals. 

Dr. Charles Rupprecht, former chief of the rabies program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, notes higher temperatures might also mean more wild animals in general. More animals overall, means more potentially infected animals, leading to an increase in overall rabies incidence. 

Rupprecht notes in drought years where animals are forced to congregate at fewer and fewer available water sources, the uptick in rabid wildlife is even more pronounced.

There are several things those who suspect rabies in animals can do. 

First, confine the healthy animal for 10 days and see if symptoms develop. Get ahold of vaccination records. 

If the animal – domestic or wild – is showing symptoms, killing the animal is the best option. Rabies cannot be unquestionably diagnosed on live animals. Rabies testing requires brain tissue to be submitted to the lab. Contact a local veterinarian for testing and collection protocol. 

World Rabies Day is Sept. 28. Be sure to do your part in helping prevent rabies by getting animals vaccinated and protected.  

Sara Fleenor is the University of Wyoming Extension agriculture and natural resources educator serving Crook County. She can be reached at sfleenor@uwyo.edu or 307-283-1192.