Among the viruses that plague our pets, do we still need to worry about rabies in the United States?
In a word, yes. One to two people die from rabies annually in the United States and thousands of animals are infected. That said, note that only mammals get rabies, never birds, reptiles or other species.
Rabies is usually spread through bites. But because the virus is secreted in saliva, an infected animal can spread it by contaminating an open wound or the mouth, nose or eyes.
The good news is that rabies is virtually 100% preventable with regular vaccination and barriers against wildlife, the animals most likely to carry it. Vaccines are approved for cats, dogs, ferrets, horses, cattle and sheep.
Rabies doesn’t take any prisoners. Once clinical signs appear, it’s fatal. That’s why prevention is the first defense every time.