Rabies is a serious threat to both pets and people. Most communities have laws or regulations that require vaccination of pets against rabies. They also usually have laws or regulations that dictate what happens when a pet is exposed to rabies.
Rabies Is Serious Because It Is a Zoonotic Disease
Rabies is known as a zoonotic disease because it can be passed from animals to people. It is also a deadly disease and very few people or pets live through a rabies infection. The deadly nature of the disease and its zoonotic potential are the reasons that rabies is considered such a serious disease.
Another reason that rabies is serious is the fact that it cannot be diagnosed accurately in a living animal. In order to get an accurate diagnosis, the animal's brain must be examined.
How Can Dogs and Cats Be Exposed to Rabies?
Most dogs and cats are exposed to rabies through contact with wildlife. Skunks, raccoons, fox, coyotes and bats are the animals most often diagnosed with rabies infections. If a dog or cat is exposed to one of these animals, it may be exposed to rabies.
The most common type of rabies exposure is a bite wound from a rabid animal or one who is suspected of being rabid. However, exposure may also occur through contamination of existing wounds with infected saliva or contact of infected saliva with the eyes or mouth.
What Happens if a Dog or Cat Is Exposed to Rabies?
According to the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control (PDF), recommendations for animals that are exposed to rabies depends on their vaccination status.
If your dog or cat is vaccinated against rabies and the vaccine is current, he should be "revaccinated immediately, kept under the owner's control, and observed for 45 days."
If your dog or cat is not vaccinated, euthanasia is the recommendation. If you choose not to euthanize, your pet can be isolated, without contact with people or other pets, for six months. He will need to vaccinated against rabies initially at the beginning of the isolation period and a second rabies vaccine must be administered within 28 days of his release. In many cases, the isolation must done at a local pound or shelter.
If your pet is overdue for his rabies vaccine and is exposed to rabies, public health officials will determine what is recommended based on several factors. Factors considered will include how long the vaccination has been lapsed, your pet's overall health, how severe the exposure was and how common rabies is in your locality.