Rage is the lethal disease affecting the person, the majority of warm-blooded animals and birds. The main source of infection of the person with rage are dogs therefore it is necessary to know how to save the pet.
The causative agent of this disease is Rabies virus rage virus. Getting to a blood system, it extends on nervous cages, reaches salivary glands and a cerebral cortex, causing damage of nervous system incompatible with life.
Reasons of infection of dogs
Rabdovirus constantly is in the nature. In the absence of epidemic a virus the long time remains in organisms of animals carriers. Distinguish the wild (forest) and city centers of infection. In nature the greatest danger is constituted by foxes, wolves, raccoons and rodents. In the city the main sources of an infection are homeless animals: dogs and cats.
The main way of infection of dogs — hit of saliva of a sick animal on the damaged integuments or a mucous membrane at stings and scratches. And saliva of animals becomes infectious in 2 weeks before the first symptoms of a disease appear. When the disease is in the developed stage, capable to infection are not only a saliva, but also other biological liquids of an animal: blood, urine and excrements. Therefore the dog can be infected when eating corpses of the animals who died from rage or contacts with their excrements. Such way of infection is possible if the dog has microinjuries of skin or a digestive tract.
Ways of protection against infection
To secure a dog against infection, it is necessary to observe simple precautionary measures. This disease is zooantroponozny – it the person, but unlike animals can have, to people do not carry out annual vaccination against rage. First of all — an animal it is regularly necessary to impart. Primary vaccination against rage is carried out at early age and repeated annually. Vaccine for dogs can lose the properties because of the wrong storage or transportation therefore it is effective only in 96–98% of cases. Rage is especially dangerous disease. Mass free vaccination against this disease is carried out 2 times a year: in the spring and in the fall. For this purpose it is necessary to come to the city veterinary station with an animal. If the dog is healthy from other diseases, then will do her vaccination and will issue the pet passport with marks about vaccination. It is necessary to follow certain rules of keeping of a dog also: not to allow its contact with vagrant and wild animals during walking, not to allow to contact to corpses of the fallen animals or excrements. It is necessary to feed with care the pet the crude meat which did not undergo veterinary control, and it is better to exclude meat of wild animals from its diet completely.