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Rabies Is A Real Threat And Should Not Be Taken Lightly

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Are you worried about catching a disease from your pet or another animal? If not, then you should be! Rabies is a very real threat and should not be taken lightly. It is a zoonotic disease that can affect any warm blooded creature, even the cute little bunnies. It is a highly infectious disease. Rabies is spread through saliva and nervous system (CNS) tissue and is caused by the rhabdovirus. A simple lick from your favorite pet or even a bite from any infected animal can give you this disease. Rabies is most commonly seen in unvaccinated strays and wild life carrying the disease, such as foxes, raccoons, skunks, and bats. Knowing all of the clinical signs, how the disease progresses, and your treatment and prevention options is very important when you could be exposed to this deadly disease. Rabies is almost always fatal and noticing the clinical signs of an infected animal just might save your life and help you avoid exposure. Rabies infected patients may exhibit a rapid progression of neurological signs such as cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion, agitation, and abnormal behavior. Delirium, hallucination and insomnia may also be noticed with this disease. Infected individuals may also exhibit an itching sensation at the site of the bite wound, a fever, headache, weakness or discomfort, and excessive salivation (foaming at the mouth) ("Clinical Signs of Rabies in Animals," 2011). If you believe that you or your pet has been exposed to another animal

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