Rabies affects the central nervous system and can affect any warm-blooded animal. It is incurable, and it can be fatal. It usually spreads through the saliva of an infected animal, and the transmission is through a bite wound. Typically, the incubation period is between three to eight weeks, but it can be as short as nine days too. Rabies is endemic throughout the country, and it is more prevalent along the East Coast.

Look out for these symptoms to protect your pet from rabies:

• There are behavioral changes in the animal. It might seem anxious, aggressive, or even more friendlier than usual.
• Once the disease progresses, your pet could become hypersensitive to light and sound as well as have seizures.
• In the last stage, the animal has paralysis of the nerves that control the throat and head. He will hyper salivate and might not be able to swallow. Eventually, he goes into respiratory failure and dies.

1. Vaccines
The foremost step to protect your pet from rabies is to get it vaccinated. Puppies and kittens need to get their first dose of the rabies vaccine at 12 weeks of age. Thereafter, they must be vaccinated again after a year, and after that, a booster dose is given every three years for the rest of their lives. Many agencies offer free or low cost-vaccinations.

Keep the vaccination card up to date at all times in case of an emergency. Also, keep it in an easily accessible place.

2. Keep away from wildlife

It is best to keep young, unvaccinated puppies away from wildlife as they are more susceptible to infection. This is one major step to protect your pet from rabies. Puppies that are vaccinated should have some of the immunity passed on from the mother. However, if the mother’s immunity is not known, the puppy could be infected if it comes in contact with infected wildlife.

3. Limit outdoor areas
Control or limit your pet’s area of movement. Pets like to chase other animals and birds and often wander off. They could get scratched or bitten by other animals. This could be dangerous, so do not let them walk around freely outside your home. Always keep them under supervision.

4. Spay and neuter
Spay or neuter your pets so that there are no unwanted young that cannot be cared for or vaccinated regularly.

5. Stray animals
In case there are stray animals in your vicinity, call animal control to get them picked up as they may not be vaccinated or could have other infectious diseases.

6. Contact your vet
Contact your veterinarian if an unknown animal bites your unvaccinated pet. It will help in protecting your pet from rabies. It might be necessary to keep the pet in six months quarantine. This will help to know if your dog or cat has caught the infection and is in the incubation period. It will thus not be a risk to other animals.

7. Stay up to date with the law
Being up-to-date with the rabies law in your state also helps. Most states have laws about rabies quarantine for animals that have been bitten by other pets or animals. The number of days of quarantine varies.