Why is my dog frothing and drooling? Is it rabies or nausea?

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.

Based on your description of Gus's encounter with the new puppy I would not be concerned about Rabies. This was most likely related to the excitement of the encounter. You mentioned Gus is current on his Rabies vaccination so there should not be a huge concern here. However, if you want to be certain about Gus you can have him examined by your veterinarian if his behavior continues to be abnormal and if needed the doctor can actually check Gus's rabies titer (a blood sample) and send it out to the lab. Most likely, Gus is absolutely fine. Best of luck.

If she vomited 6 times last night than you need to call your vet and give him/her an update. Your vet may want to see your dog again today for a recheck. She might need subcutaneous fluids again and/or an anti-vomiting medications. Hope our dog feels better soon!

I can understand being worried. Foaming out of the mouth is never a good sign. The immediate concern I have is rabies. If he's never been vaccinated against rabies, there's a potential he could have it if he came into contact with a rabid animal recently. It could also be that he is nauseous or has a dental problem. Because I can't see him in person to rule out rabies and because I don't know his vaccine status, do not handle him if he's not vaccinated. Call your local animal control for help with him. Isolate him from other people and animals until they get there. Now if he is fully vaccinated against rabies, then he won't have it but I would still have him seen by a vet today. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

HI, I am sorry to hear about your dog. While this MAY be rabies, it most likely is a different type of disease. I can be a primary problem with the brain, another type of infectious disease, or related to internal organ dysfunction. I would highly recommend having your dog evaluated by your veterinarian to try and determine the cause of the seizures and get him on medication(s) to help prevent/stop the seizures from occurring.

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

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!