My dog has foamy mouth after raccoon scratch. Is it rabies or stress?

The stereotypical image of rabies is a dog with foam all around their mouths, but the reality is that this is not actually seen that often and can be seen normally in a dog that just exercised. The reason for the foam forming around their mouths with rabies is that they are not able to swallow when infected with rabies. This causes them to drool more and potentially develop this foam if they are barking/vocalizing a lot. Rabies also causes a dramatic change in behavior. The dog will either be very stuporous, or extremely aggressive. Rabies is spread through saliva, but requires a direct inoculation under the skin (usually by biting). Touching the saliva of a rabid dog is not very risky for contracting the disease; unless you have a cut or sore that is in contact with the saliva. It's also much less likely for a vaccinated dog to acquire rabies. For more information about rabies, I will refer you to the link below. cdc.gov/rabies/index.html I hope that helps and all is well with you and Chloe.

Animals with rabies typically become progressively worse with other neurologic symptoms (such as muscle tremors and seizures), and die within a few days of beginning to show symptoms. So if this behavior has been going on for longer than that, it isn't rabies - instead, it's likely to be a behavior issue. From your description, it sounds like Max is very anxious and fearful. Many fearful dogs are also aggressive towards other animals and people. If you want to work on this problem, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan for his aggression and anxiety issues. This might include medication, as well as management suggestions to help him avoid situations that make him afraid, and specific training exercises you can work on to help with this behavior. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Fortunately, rabies in dogs is very rare in the U.S. and hopefully this dog has been vaccinated at-least once already. Knowing his vaccine status will make a big difference for knowing whether rabies is a concern or not. If he happens to have a rabies, or city registration tag on the collar, then this indicates that he would have been vaccinated before. If he is neutered, then this would also be a good indication that he has been vaccinated before. One thing you can do in order to find out his vaccine status is to take him to a local shelter and have him scanned for a microchip. They can also help locate the owner and find out more information about the dog. Rabies usually requires a break in the skin to be transmitted. It is also less likely that Buddy has rabies if he's not showing any signs (the vet at the shelter can check for any signs). Overall, it seems very unlikely that this dog has rabies, or that your sister would be infected. For more information and understanding the risk of rabies, I recommend you read the information at the link below. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html I hope that helps and all is well with your sister and the dog.

I am not sure why the vet told you that the rabies vaccine in dogs is to protect from environmental rabies (there is no such thing) and is useless if a dog bites the vaccinated dog. This is just not correct. Dogs are vaccinated to be protected from contracting rabies cause by bites from a rabid animal, be it a dog, cat, bat or other rabid mammal. Since Cheeku has been vaccinated against rabies, it is unlikely that she is suffering from rabies. Frothing can be caused by nausea, by licking or biting into an irritant (that can also be an insect or toad). Since she has been eating well, is not obviously strange or ill at this time and is drinking water she should be ok and you need not worry about rabies given on to you.

Depending on the severity of the scratch (feel free to post a picture of it) Lily should be checked by your veterinarian. Antibiotics may be needed but extra vaccination shots are not. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching (if any). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

If you were in a country that was known to have rabies in the dog population, then I would be concerned, but the UK is considered rabies-free. Canine Distemper Virus is more likely to be the cause of this and is more common with stray puppies.. However, distemper can be spread to other dogs through contact, so it's important to ensure your dogs are up-to-date on their vaccines. While adult dogs are usually not as seriously affected by this disease, it is possible that they could get similar signs as the puppy. One way you can test the puppy for contagious disease is to have the body tested by a veterinary pathologist. Your vet will be able to help with that. I hope that helps and all is well with the other dogs.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You only need to worry about rabies if you are bitten by an animal whose rabies or vaccine status you don’t know. Since Romeo didn’t bite you, I wouldn’t be concerned. Kisses to Romeo!