18/09/2017
WORLD RABIES DAY UPDATE!
Rabies can be contracted through dog bites, it leads to a lose of life every nine minutes. In 2017, 28th September marks World Rabies Day . It highlights a campaign to eliminate this global disease by 2030 and tackles the problem from two perspectives: vaccinating dogs and protecting people.
Rabies is a viral disease affecting the nervous system of warm-blooded animals. Approximately 17,400 people around the world lost their lives due to rabies in 2015 alone, most of these deaths were due to dog bites.
The virus is transmitted through the saliva of a rabid animal – not only dogs, but also raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats and pet cats. After a bite, the virus travels through the nerve tissue to the brain. The virus is fatal unless treatment is instituted immediately before the virus enters the nervous system.
The following are some of the symptoms of rabies to watch for in your dog/cat:
Fever, seizures, paralysis, hydrophobia(fear of water), jaw is dropped, Inability to swallow, change in tone of bark, unusual shyness or aggression, excessive excitability and excessive salivation, or frothy saliva.
Contact us for more information and have your pet vaccinated today!!
