Rabies is an infectious, deadly disease that affects pets and is transmitted through saliva. Often, this disease is called hydrophobia or hydrophobia, since its main symptom is the rejection of sick animals water. Rabies damages the nervous system, which provokes increased excitability in the pet, as well as paralysis of the respiratory system and limbs. The first signs of a rabid dog can manifest themselves even a couple of months after infection, but more often the infection quickly penetrates into the brain, as the animals basically bite each other by the neck and head.
Development of rabies
The incubation period of rabies lasts about two weeks. After the virus enters the animal's body, it begins to move along the nerve fibers to the spinal cord and brain, heading towards the salivary glands. When the brain cells are damaged, the virus multiplies very rapidly. As soon as the first symptoms of rabies were manifested, it was no longer possible to save the animal. However, in order to understand what a rabid dog looks like, it is necessary to carefully study the forms of this dangerous disease.
Forms of rabies in dogs
Animals can develop several forms of rabies: violent, depressive, atypical, remitting and abortive. Most often there is a violent form of the disease, the duration of which is about two weeks. At the first prodromal stage of the disease, the signs of canine rabies are still invisible, but the animal gradually exhibits low mobility, as well as ignoring the teams. In this period, rabid dogs can be too affectionate, which should already alert the owner. The second, manic, stage of the disease already undoubtedly indicates the infection of the animal. The dog stops being afraid of a person, can suddenly attack and bite, then try to escape. As a rule, the animal completely refuses water, it has signs of paralysis of the larynx and lower jaw, as well as increased salivation. The final paralytic stage lasts several days, while the dog does not drink, does not eat, does not react to what is happening around. She develops convulsive attacks and develops complete paralysis of internal organs, after which the animal dies.
Mad dogs with an atypical form of the disease are characterized by severe exhaustion and increased fatigue, they develop diarrhea and vomiting. This condition can last about six months. With depressive rabies, the animal, as a rule, does not show aggression and even normally eats, but after a few days he develops cough and lameness, followed by paralysis of the organs and larynx. The remitting form of the disease lasts about a week, during which the condition of the dog worsens, it improves. But in abortive disease, rabid dogs eventually recover, but this form of pathology is so rare that they have not been fully studied before.
How to determine rabies in a dog?
If there are suspicions of rabies, the animal should be isolated for several days, during which to carefully monitor its condition. The disease is usually diagnosed by symptomatology, with no tests to identify the virus is not assigned. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, rabid dogs should be put to sleep, since there is currently no treatment for this terrible disease.