The baby raccoons and fox at the Wildlife Rehab Center at Oak Mountain don't have rabies. But in Alabama, these species are two of the prime carriers of the disease. Vestavia Hills animal control officer James Taylor says he's seen a few of raccoons with distemper so far, but none with rabies. "Well, we're in the month of July. We got July and August that's when we'll start seeing a lot of it," he says.
Pelham veterinarian Brooke Jordan says the disease can have a lot of different symptoms, not just foaming at the mouth. "Seizures, dizziness, abnormal behavior, unprovoked aggressiveness all of the sudden," she says are just a few of the possible presentations of the disease.
And the disease is fatal even in humans. It's also easily prevented in our four legged friends. Dr. Jordan says the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective, and can keep our dogs and cats from giving us the disease. "If it's the only thing that can potentially kill you that our pets can give us and it's a simple trip to the vet to take care of it. I would think it would be crazy not to do it," she says.
And Taylor says if you see an animal you think is rabid, *DON'T' GET CLOSE TO IT*. Call a professional. "deal with people that know what they're doing in this type of business. Don't take chances," he says.
Aside from losing your pet to rabies, Dr. Jordan says there is another reason to get your dog or cat vaccinated - pain. She says the only human treatment for the disease is a series of painful shots to the stomach and back of the leg.
