Pet Health Library

Risk Factors

Unvaccinated pets — especially dogs, cats, and ferrets — who spend time outdoors or interact with wildlife are at highest risk. Even pets kept indoors may be at risk if they get outside or an infected animal enters the home.

Signs

A pet infected with rabies may exhibit the following signs:

• Sudden fearfulness or aggression
• Excessive drooling/foaming at the mouth
• Difficulty swallowing
• Confusion/disorientation
• Difficulty moving/paralysis
• Dilated pupils or vacant stare
• Abnormal behavior (e.g., a wild animal who does not shy away from people)

Diagnosis

In the U.S., rabies is diagnosed post-mortem using specialized brain tissue tests. This means the disease can only be confirmed after the animal has died or been euthanized.

Treatment

If your pet has been bitten or scratched by a wild animal, contact your veterinarian immediately.

If your pet is up to date on their rabies vaccine, your veterinarian will give a booster shot and may recommend a period of observation at home, depending on local public health guidelines.

If a pet is not vaccinated, they may face a strict six-month quarantine or, in some cases, be euthanized to prevent the potential spread of rabies.

If a vaccinated pet bites a person, local health authorities may require a 10-day quarantine or observation period, even if the animal shows no signs of illness. This is to ensure the pet was not shedding the virus at the time of the bite.

Unfortunately, once signs of rabies appear, the disease is almost always fatal.

Prevention

Rabies is entirely preventable through vaccination.

• In most U.S. states, rabies vaccination is legally required for all owned dogs, cats, and ferrets.
• Keeping your pets supervised when outdoors can further reduce risk.