“The cat became infected from a bat that flew onto the balcony”: veterinarians about the rabies season

Spring is the time to vaccinate pets against rabies. And although you can get vaccinated at any month of the year, everyone tries to do it by the beginning of the summer season. Someone is sure that his four-legged pupil is certainly not at risk of rabies, and in general he sits at home, but danger sometimes comes from where you don’t expect it, and if the animal is not vaccinated, it will absolutely die if it becomes infected. MK discussed with veterinarians and infectious disease doctors how much it costs to vaccinate your dog now, how a bitten person is treated, and what the situation is with rabies in animals and people.

Veterinarians called on Muscovites to vaccinate their animals against rabies. This must be done before going to the dacha, to the village to visit your grandmother… Doctors remind that rabies is a very dangerous viral disease that affects the nervous system of both animals and people; The disease is transmitted through the saliva of an infected person. At the same time, it is not even necessary for an infected animal to bite you – it is enough if the “poisonous” saliva gets on the mucous membrane or on a damaged area of ​​​​the skin (cut, burn, wound). Therefore, it is imperative to vaccinate your animals, and do it every year.

“You can get infected anywhere, not even necessarily from forest predators (foxes, wolves) – it could be a hedgehog or an infected rodent,” explains veterinarian Marina Shilkina. – A domestic dog can come into contact with a street dog and bring the virus to another pet, such as a cat. If you do not get a vaccine, then you need to remember that an infected animal cannot be cured, rabies cannot be treated, it is almost one hundred percent fatal.

According to the veterinarian, now people keep in their homes not only cats and dogs, but also raccoons, ferrets, and rabbits, and they also need to be vaccinated against rabies.

– One of the Muscovites wrote that free rabies vaccinations can cripple an animal or even cause its death. They say, therefore, get vaccinated with an imported complex vaccine for 5500 rubles…

– Nowadays there are a variety of vaccines on the market, both ours and imported ones. All of them are safe, and veterinarians do not confirm stories that any of the animals once died from the vaccine.

At the same time, in order to minimize all risks, vaccination must be approached with the utmost seriousness. It is important to vaccinate a clinically healthy animal. The scheme is as follows: you need to come to an appointment with a veterinarian so that he examines the animal; If there are no complaints, then it is necessary to carry out treatment for fleas and worms. And only after that, at least a week later, you can give the vaccine. If your pet has allergic reactions, you should inform your veterinarian. You still need to get vaccinated, but in this case the doctor will give you antihistamines.

A comprehensive vaccine for both cats and dogs costs 2500-3000 rubles. Separately, you can get vaccinated against rabies for 1,500 rubles. This applies to any veterinary clinics, both private and public. But you can also provide a free vaccine; there is a special government program.

The veterinarian reminded that revaccination is carried out month after month every year. If you did it in December, then next year you also need to get vaccinated in December. But it is in the spring that the excitement begins, since many owners are going to take their pets to the dacha (and there are “mad” wild animals roaming around…). Although rabies vaccines can be given, of course, in any month. And you don’t have to worry that its validity period will expire by summer if, for example, you vaccinated in winter – it is valid for 12 months. We did it in December – in May you can safely go with your shaggy friend to the dacha.

“I recently vaccinated all my cats, 500 rubles for the vaccine (this is the Moscow region),” said one of the “cat ladies.” – We have a private house, foxes run in, and they are the main carriers of rabies.

Social networks are sharing a case of how a domestic, non-roaming cat in Volgograd became infected from a bat that flew onto the balcony…

In Russia, cases of rabies are recorded annually among both wild and domestic animals. For 8 months of 2023, according to the Federal Center for Animal Health, 518 cases were recorded. As for the latest data, let’s take only two regions as an example. During the 1st quarter of 2024, 17 cases of animal rabies were detected in Smolensk and the region. According to the regional Rosselkhoznadzor, compared to 2023, these figures have increased. Moreover, rabies was detected not only in wild animals (6 foxes, 3 raccoon dogs and 1 moose), but also in domestic animals (4 cats and 3 dogs). In the Chelyabinsk region, 19 cases were recorded in the 1st quarter: 8 dogs (only two of them did not have owners), 7 domestic cats and 4 wild foxes. Let us remind you that sick animals cannot be cured.

The Veterinary Rules VP 13.3.1103-96 clearly states: “In all populated areas of the Russian Federation, all dogs, regardless of their affiliation, and, if necessary, cats are subject to mandatory preventive immunization against rabies…”. “Unfortunately, there is no supervision over implementation,” complained our interlocutor, a veterinarian.

At the same time, cases of human rabies infection have practically disappeared. So, in 2020, 7 people died from the virus, in 2021 – 6 people, in 2022 – 2 people. In 2023 – 1. In Moscow, there have been no cases of rabies in humans for the last 10 years. At the same time, 330,900 human animal bites were registered in 2022, and 353,198 in 2023. At the same time, as infectious disease doctor Anastasia Kozhevnikova told MK, a cure for those infected with rabies has not yet been invented: “It is not yet possible to cure. The Milwaukee Protocol (the so-called experimental treatment of rabies in humans) has not found acceptance, since it can cure a patient with very large residual defects only when infected from bats, but it is not a “full-fledged” rabies virus.”

All warm-blooded vertebrates suffer from rabies, including, what struck us especially, birds. However, this is hardly something to be afraid of: transmission of rabies from birds under natural conditions is impossible, since birds have practically no saliva.

It is noteworthy that rabies is not transmitted from person to person. Even when a doctor is bitten by a sick person, Kozhevnikova assured. That is, all “zombie films” go against the very nature of rabies and do not have the slightest scientific basis. “In the entire history of medicine, there have been no cases of transmission of rabies from person to person under normal conditions,” our expert clarified. “The only exceptions are cases of transplantation of organs from donors who died of rabies into recipients in casuistically rare cases.”

Finally, we will present the recommendations of Rosselkhoznadzor, and at the same time we will remind you of the signs of mad foxes (and seagulls and ducks). So, you need to: get your pets vaccinated against rabies; prevent contact between domestic animals and wild animals; people should not come into contact with wild animals that exhibit behavior that is unusual for them (fidgeting, loss of fear of humans, excessive aggressiveness, photophobia, apathy, discharge from the mouth, nose and eyes, etc.). You should also immediately report to veterinary specialists any suspicion of rabies in animals, cases of bites of domestic animals by wild predators, and cases of unusual behavior or sudden death of livestock.