What does a rabid animal look like?
Rabid animals may act tame. They may also display strange or unusual behavior. They may act aggressive, avoid food and water, foam at the mouth, or have trouble moving. Stay away from any unknown animals, especially wildlife. Report any dog or animal acting unusual to your county Animal Control office.
Depending on where the virus contacts the body, it can take more or less time for symptoms to develop. The face is a lot closer to the brain than the foot. It’s important to remember that even with a bite wound, the virus must contact a nerve cell in order to proliferate. If the virus can’t contact a nerve, it will die within a short period of time. Before Pasteur developed the first rabies vaccine, about 40% of people attacked by rabid animals developed the disease. It’s not something you want to take a chance on. Normal gestation (from point of contact to symptoms) of the virus usually takes about three weeks. However, there have been cases where the virus has taken up to two years to become active. It is vital to take action quickly, as once symptoms develop the virus has taken over the brain. There have been a couple of cases of humans who have survived rabies, but they had virtually no cognitive function (a “vegetable”). There are generally acknowledged to be two forms of rabies,
You cannot tell if an animal has rabies just by looking at it. In the very early stages of the rabies infection in the brain, there may not be any clear signs of illness. As the disease progresses, obvious signs of illness may appear. The behavior of animals with rabies may seem strange. They may appear unusually tame and friendly; with no fear of humans (healthy wild animals usually maintain a distance and run away if approached). They may also appear restless and very aggressive, often biting at real and imaginary things. They may even drool. As the disease advances, a rabid animal may have difficulty walking or even moving. Eventually the animal will die, usually within several days from the appearance of clinical signs.
