Signs of the rabies a fatal disease in your dog Rabies is a fatal disease that leaves no strings to cure the affected animal. A dog infected with rabies has to be euthanized to remove the virus from the environment. It is thus very important to always be vigilant of your dog’s health and his activities. You must know whether he has come in contact with a rabid animal or not, so the mandatory actions are reinforced without further delay. Signs in the initial stages of the disease include restlessness, disorientation, irritability, aggression and weakness. As the ailment progresses, your dog may also experience seizures or may even collapse all of a sudden. And since you cannot cure the disease, the only way to combat this life-threatening ailment is by preventing it through Rabies vaccines. Rabies vaccine contains small amounts of killed virulent responsible for causing rabies, which when enters the system of the dog, produces antibodies against the virus thereby strengthening the immune system to eliminate the virus. However, dogs and cats must be vaccinated against the disease as early as 4-6 months of age and require a booster vaccine after the completion of one year, starting from the day they were first vaccinated. Every pet has to be boosted every 3 years, however, it again depends on the local laws of the state whether they require annual vaccinations or otherwise. Though many questions are raised regarding the efficacy and necessity of vaccination in dogs and cats, a rabies vaccine is the only vaccine uniformly accepted as an imperative for the protection of pets.
Rabies Vaccine is Effective in Single Shot
Contrary to other vaccinations that require double doses for adequate immune response to combat the diseases, Rabies vaccine is a single shot vaccine. A single shot serves as the stimulating dose, a ‘priming’ dose and when the dog comes in contact with the virulent in the environment, that exposure to the virus in itself serves as the second dose that boosts the dog’s immunity. This is so because the virus takes weeks or even months to show symptoms and thus the body gets enough time for producing an immune response against the virulent.