Dog's Help

Amidst various other diseases that can infect your pet, rabies is the most common. In simple words, rabies can be best described as a viral infection of the nervous system. Dogs suffering from rabies transfer the virus from their saliva, which is passed on through bites. As compared to other viral infections in dogs, rabies is more deadly. Most dogs who exhibit any symptoms of the disease, usually end up dying.

Symptoms
Since rabies is an internal disorder and does not come with any external symptoms, it may become slightly difficult to diagnose the problem. However, the disease is characterized by a few symptoms such as excessive biting, difficulty in moving, problems in swallowing and excessive drool.

Some other symptoms of the problem include fever, headache and general malaise. Eventually, neurological symptoms may also appear. Some of these symptoms include hallucination, agitation, hydrophobia, insomnia, anxiety and confusion. Within a few days of the onset of these symptoms, death may occur. It is for this reason that it becomes important for you to react quickly.

Treatment
One of the best ways to deal with rabies is to get your dog vaccinated as soon as he comes in contact with infected saliva or is bitten by an infected animal. A quick reaction is the only way you can save your pet from falling prey to this deadly viral infection. In case you suspect your dog to be a victim of rabies, you should take him for various laboratory tests.

Prevention
Considering that rabies is such a deadly disease, every dog owner must make conscious effort to prevent the problem. Having your pets vaccinated is the most important step in this direction.

There are several rabies vaccines available in the market. However, each of them has a different expiry period. This means that different vaccines keep your pet protected for different periods of time. So, you must ask your vet as to how long the vaccine will last. Thus, as soon as the protection time of the vaccine expires, you can take your pet for another dose.

Keeping your dog indoors can also help a great deal in preventing the problem. When your pet is under supervision, chances of he being in contact with rabies infected animal are significantly reduced. Even if your dog is inside the yard, he must be carefully supervised. This is because bats, raccoons and foxes pose a constant threat to your pet.

Also, make sure that you keep your dog's natural habitat less attractive to the wild. You can do so by keeping the trash completely covered and not feeding any wild animals.

Rabies is a deadly disease. So, if you do not want your pet to die, make sure that you make conscious efforts to keep your pet away from it.