How to Tell If You Have Rabies

Rabies is a infectious virus passed through the saliva of an infected animal to a non-infected animal. Rabies, if untreated, can be fatal, but you can check for the signs of rabies and get medical help immediately.

Instructions

• 1

  Wash the bite wound with soap and water, whether you suspect the animal was rabid or not. If soap and water is unavailable, bandage the wound using a bandage or a clean shirt and find an area where soap and water or hand sanitizer is available.

• 2

  Seek professional medical attention immediately. Treatment after exposure to rabies consists of one dose of Rabies Immune Globulin, which contains antibodies against the rabies virus, and five doses of the rabies vaccine over a twenty eight day period. The sooner you get the treatment, the better.

• 3

  Call animal control and ask them to take the infected animal. The on-site veterinarian will be able to determine whether the animal has rabies or not. If the animal is wild, do not try to catch it on your own. Call animal control and have them catch the animal. Keep all pets indoors or under close supervision until the infected animal is contained.

  Take all animals that may have come in contact with the animal to the veterinarian and have them vaccinated.

• 4

  Watch for symptoms. Rabies symptoms aren't immediately visible. It can take anywhere from 10 days to a year for the virus to incubate and become active in the body. The virus travels from the bitten area to the brain, which activates the salivary gland, which is seen as the rabid "foaming at the mouth."

• 5

  Notify your doctor if you experience a lack of appetite, hyperactivity, lethargy, itching at the site of the bite, headache, insomnia, or depression after the bite. Do not wait until you see symptoms, as it is usually fatal at this point.