How do I identify rabies symptoms in my puppy? What should I look for?

Hi Milna! I'm sorry to hear that your puppy was bitten. There are no symptoms of rabies that appear immediately. Since rabies is a fatal disease that can be transmitted through bodily fluids (saliva, blood) to humans, please take your puppy to a vet immediately. In addition to the concern of rabies, your puppy should have his wound evaluated, cleaned, and be started on a course of antibiotics.

Getting rabies from what looks like an absolutely healthy puppy is pretty much impossible, but just for general knowledge, if you wait for symptoms of Rabies then it is already too late, once the first symptom appear, Rabies is not a curable disease and you would die within 10 days. symptoms include excessive salivation and mental changes.

If you suspect your dog has rabies it is best to seek emergency medical care from your veterinarian immediately. If you cannot safely handle your dog, seeking out the help of animal control or other services that can safely handle him is best to avoid being bitten.

A pet will never get Rabies and not become symptomatic. They will always show symptoms. So if your pet is not showing any neurological symptoms, then she doesn't have rabies, especially if she has not had any encounters with wildlife that could have had rabies within the past 10 days. You can proceed with vaccinating her so that she is protected. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Take care.

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

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.

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!