Below is a very educational article by Dr Muchubi regarding rabies, a viral disease that is central to the workings of TNR Trust.
The TNR Trust slogan is “Community Health through Animal Welfare“. One of our main pillars is eradication of rabies in Kenya, to prevent any unnecessary loss of lives from rabies. We tackle this by vaccination of dogs and cats, sterilization to maintain a healthy dog and cat population and education of the locals.
We will soon be rolling out our Mobile Clinic to ensure that rural areas will also have access to these rabies vaccinations. TNR Trust will then be able to also educate people on caring for their dogs/cats and make them aware of the benefits of sterilization of pets (less aggression, less wandering, increased health of animal, etc.)
Dr Muchubi’s Article In Summary
- The disease is transmitted through a bite from a rabid animal.
- The disease is a professional hazard to people handling animals, including veterinarians.
- Clinical diagnosis of rabies is based on the signs and confirmed in the laboratories by examining brain tissue.
- For First Aid, wash the wound with plenty of water with a disinfectant.
Rabies is a fatal, viral zoonosis (a disease which can be transmitted to humans from animals) that affects all warm-blooded mammals. The virus is found in the salivary glands, brain and spinal cord of affected mammals. It is commonly seen in dogs, cats, raccoons, foxes, bats and cows. Man gets infected through bites or exposure to saliva from infected animals. Once symptoms appear after a bite/exposure, rabies is fatal. Rabies is found all around the world except in the Antarctica and Australia.
The disease is transmitted through a bite from a rabid animal (dogs get rabies when they are bitten by other rabid dogs or from rabid wild animals) or through contact with infected saliva to wound or cuts on the skin.
The virus has an incubation period of about 2-8 weeks before symptoms start to show. The virus is, however, shed through saliva as early as 10 days before symptoms appear.
The disease is a professional hazard to people handling animals, including veterinarians.
Clinical signs of rabies (in dogs)
- Change in behaviour. Friendly dogs may suddenly become irritable, while normally excitable animals may become more docile.
- They may bite or snap at any form of stimulus, attacking other animals, humans and even inanimate objects.
- They may constantly lick, bite and chew at the site where they were bitten.
- Red eyes
- Have fever
- Hypersensitivity to touch, light and sound.
- They may eat unusual things and hide in dark places.
- Drools copious saliva and cannot eat or drink.
- It chokes and the owners and the vets sometimes confuse this with a bone stuck in the throat and may try to remove it.
- Hoarse barking.
- Disorientation, in co-ordination and staggering may occur, caused by paralysis of the hind legs.
- Weakness.
- Seizures
- Death usually within 14 days.
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
REFERENCES:
Dangerous dog disease deadly to cattle humans by Dr Muchubi (Published in Daily Nation)
