➡️ Clinical features in dogs

After an incubation period of around 3 months (range 10 days to 6 months), dog may manifest one or more of the following clinical features. There may be change in behavior of dog, change in bark tone, change in feeding habits, the animals may go off feed and eat abnormal objects. They may develop fever, vomiting, excessive salivation, paralysis of lower jaw, anxiety, restlessness, convulsions, paralysis leading to death within 5-7 days on onset of disease. There is however no hydrophobia in animals. Rabies in dogs is also classified as dumb (predominantly paralytic manifestation with docile behavior of animal) or furious (mainly convulsions and aggressive behavior with greatly exaggerated biting tendencies).

➡️Clinical features in cats and cattle

Rabid cats show extreme aggressiveness, great sensitivity to touch/voice, profuse salivation and may attempt to attack dog or man. In cattle, rabies is manifested as abnormal movements of posterior extremity, foamy yellow froth from mouth and decrease in yield of milk. Milk of rabid cattle has been shown to have viable rabies virus and its ingestion in raw form may require post exposure treatment in those individuals who have ulcers or abrasions in mouth or pharynx. Otherwise the gastric juice destroys the rabies virus. Pasteurization and cooking also kill the virus