Animals & Rabies
How do you know if an animal has rabies?
You can´t tell if an animal has rabies by just looking at it. A clue though is if the animal is acting strangely.
Some animals may act mad when they have rabies. They will be hostile and may try to bite you or other animals. In movies, animals with rabies look like they are foaming at the mouth. What´s really happening is that the rabies makes them have more saliva and that makes them drool.
Other animals may act timid or shy when they have rabies. This is the most common kind. A wild animal might move slowly or act tame. You might be able to easily get close to it. Since that´s not the way wild animals usually act, you should remember that something could be wrong.
The only way doctors can know for sure if an animal or a person has rabies is to do a laboratory tests.
The best thing to do is to never feed or approach a wild animal. Be careful of pets that you do not know. If you see a stray dog or cat, don´t pet it. And if any animal is acting strangely, call your local animal control officer for help.
