Can My Pet Get Rabies?

Rabies is a deadly disease that can affect any mammal, including dogs, cats and people^1-3 — so it’s important for owners to stay knowledgeable and vigilant about preventive measures, clinical signs and vaccines.

​How can rabies affect domestic pets and their owners? How is the disease transmitted? And what measures of prevention help stop the spread? Let’s find out.

What Is Rabies?

This viral disease is considered a zoonosis risk, or a type of disease spread from animals to humans.⁴ It is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal⁵ and infects the central nervous system of mammals, ultimately causing disease in the brain.⁶

Once outward signs of the disease appear, rabies is fatal.  Although it is uncommon, rabies can be transmitted through saliva from a rabid animal that comes in contact with an open cut on the skin or the eyes, nose or mouth.⁶ Only mammals can get rabies, and it’s most commonly found in the U.S. in skunks, raccoons, bats, coyotes and foxes.^1,6 Domestic dogs and cats are often at risk of infection, so all pet owners should be aware of the disease.^2,3

How Does a Dog Get Rabies?

Most pets get rabies from having contact with infected wildlife.¹ Dogs left outside in a yard (even if the yard is fenced) may be exposed to or attacked by an infected animal, sometimes without the owner’s knowledge.

In some cases, it may be obvious when your dog has had an encounter with wildlife, like a noticeable injury or bite marks. In others, the signs might be more subtle. For example, people may not recognize a bat scratch or bite, which can be very small and still spread rabies. Since many jurisdictions legally require dogs to be vaccinated for rabies, dogs make up only around 1% of rabid animals reported each year in the United States.¹ Dogs may be more commonly associated with rabies exposure as they may be outside more and have direct contact with wildlife, but any animal exposed is at risk.

Can Cats Get Rabies?

Yes; cats can be infected with rabies.³ In recent years, cats have become the most common domestic animal infected with the disease.⁶ Many cat owners don’t vaccinate their cats at the same rate as dog owners, and cats can still be exposed to rabid wildlife. Rarely, wildlife (such as bats or smaller mammals) can get into the house, exposing a strictly indoor cat to rabies. Even if your cats are indoors, rabies precautions are still worth knowing.

What Are the Symptoms of Rabies in Cats and in Dogs?

The time between exposure and appearance of symptoms is called the incubation period, which can last for weeks to months. The first signs of rabies may be nonspecific, such as lethargy, fever, vomiting, increased anxiety and decreased appetite.^2,3,7

Symptoms can progress within days to fearfulness, aggression, excessive drooling, difficulty swallowing, staggering, paralysis, seizures or uncharacteristic affection.^2,3,7 If you think your pet has been bitten by an infected animal, consult your vet immediately and report the incident to local animal control authorities.

Are There Treatment Options for Rabies?

There is no treatment for rabies once clinical signs are apparent. However, rabies is easily preventable with safe and effective vaccines for humans and animals. If contracted, post-infection responses can escalate quickly, so prevention is extremely important.

If an animal becomes infected with rabies, the disease is most often fatal. This is why vaccines are so crucial to combat potential infections. If a pet doesn’t show outward signs, the only way to know for sure if an animal has rabies is to perform laboratory testing on the animal after death.⁸ Even if your pet has a current vaccination, they should be revaccinated immediately if infected.⁸ They should also be monitored closely and carefully by their owners and observed for a period of time specified by state law or local ordinance. Animals with expired vaccinations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Animals never vaccinated may be placed in strict isolation for six months or euthanized.^6,8

What Are Preventive Measures to Take against Rabies?

You can take several steps to protect your pet and your household from rabies, including:

Over the last 100 years, efforts to curb rabies in the United States have made a huge difference. More than 90% of all animal cases reported annually to the CDC now occur in wildlife, whereas before 1960, the majority were in domestic animals.¹ In some states, wild animals are even vaccinated through a special type of food to help prevent the spread.

Even with countrywide efforts, it’s critical that individual pet owners take responsibility for their own household and take preventive measures with their domestic animals. This helps keep communities and pets happy, healthy and rabies-free.

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