Symptoms of Rabies in Animals
2nd September 2008 by Symptoms of Rabies No CommentsSymptoms of Rabies in Animals
Many times after coming in contact with the virus, often from being attacked from an infected animal, an animal may go through several different stages and symptoms of rabies throughout the course of the infection. Some animals will show little to no symptoms; such is the case with an infected skunk. Skunks are known for showing little to no symptoms to rabies, yet the infected skunks can be life long carriers of the virus and pass it on to many other animals through the course of the skunk’s life. This is not the case though with most animals.
Many animals experience severe symptoms to the virus rabies, as the virus nearly instantly begins attacking the infected animal’s nervous system. The virus can move through the animal’s system and begin showing symptoms in as little as 2 months. For dogs the rabies symptoms begin showing usually after 3 to 8 weeks from exposure, while in cats it only takes 2-6 weeks for symptoms to begin to show. There are cases where cats and dogs have carried the virus for several months before showing any symptoms from the virus, in these rare cases the disease is usually discovered because the animal that is infected spreads it to others that show symptoms first.
There are three stages that represent the majority of the symptoms that are experienced by animals that are infected with the rabies virus. First is the prodromal phase, followed by the furious stage, and then finally the paralytic phase. The paralytic phase of the rabies virus results in death of the infected animal. Each of these stages is described in more detail, but collectively they represent the stages an infected animal will experience. If the rabies virus is not discovered at or before the first stage, it is very unlikely that an infected animal will be able to recover, even with the assistance of medical professionals. The majority of infected animals in the United States are wild animals that are unlikely to come into contact with a person or a personal pet, but many infected animals do. This interaction with animals that are infected with rabies is why it is so important that pet owners to fully understand the rabies virus.
