Rabies is a preventable disease. Some suggestions for how to prevent rabies include keeping your pet vaccinations current, keeping your pets under direct supervision, calling your local animal control agency to remove stray animals, and avoiding direct contact with any unknown animals. If you are traveling to a developing country in Africa, Asia, or Latin America, it's particularly important to know how to prevent rabies; the disease kills tens of thousands of people each year in such countries.
There are a number of ways to prevent an infection from the rabies virus. Some of these suggestions are important for pet owners. Other suggestions involve commonsense ways to avoid contact with potential rabid animals.
How to Prevent Rabies: Suggestions for Pet Owners
Pet owners can do a lot to help prevent rabies infections. Some suggestions for reducing the risk of rabies transmission from pets include the following:
Keep vaccinations current for all dogs, cats, and ferrets. This is important not only to keep your pets from getting rabies, but also to provide a barrier of protection for you, should your pet be bitten by a rabid wild animal.
Do not let pets roam. Keep your pets under direct supervision so they do not come in contact with wild animals. If your pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek veterinary assistance for the animal immediately.
Call your local animal control agency to remove any stray animals from your neighborhood. They may be unvaccinated and could be infected with the disease.
Spay or neuter your pets to help reduce the number of unwanted pets that may not be properly cared for or regularly vaccinated.
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